


Control

by ver_ironica



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron), Season 2 spoilers, comfort possibly, going from season 2 to predicting season 3, if i'm nice, klance, season 3 prediction, some slight canon divergence, surprise! lotor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-10-07 07:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 50,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10354971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ver_ironica/pseuds/ver_ironica
Summary: Keith is desperate to keep up appearances, but things are getting harder. He has to lead Voltron while keeping himself in check. His control is reaching the breaking point, and there may be no turning back. Lance helps Keith when he is scared of falling apart.The team has to work together to gain allies and save Shiro. Only as a team can they help the universe.





	1. Learning

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith realizes that having Galra blood is more important that he'd already thought.

It hurt. 

Slowly peeling away the suit he'd been put in by the Blade of Marmora, Keith winced. Coran nodded sympathetically beside him. 

"It'll be alright Number 4, we'll get you fixed up in a few ticks," he consoled him, unusually candid. Perhaps unusual to Keith, anyway, since he rarely spent time alone with Coran. 

"Are you sure, Coran? I don't think a healing pod will help much," Keith muttered. 

"Ah, don't get so down!" Coran said brightly, patting him on the back hard enough to make Keith's eyes water. "Oops, sorry. But the point is, it's not so important that you're Galra."

Keith winced again, blaming it on tugging on the suit again. 

"The Galra weren't so bad, you know. Once." Coran broke off, staring at the floor in a bit of uncharacteristic silence. 

"What do you mean?" Keith asked.

Coran met his eyes nervously. "Oh, well, I mean, back in my day, Alteans and the Galran were quite the pair of formidable allies."

Keith now had the uninjured arm free of the suit. The black t-shirt underneath it had been firmly sealed against him with sweat. He admired Coran's casual expression, as he was sure he looked and smelled terrible. "Really?"

"Why yes, in fact, the first Red Paladin--" Coran broke off unexpectedly. 

"Coran? What's wrong?" Keith asked. 

He'd continued to take off the suit, now onto the injured shoulder. Following Coran's gaze, he turned and looked at it. 

Purple.

The skin around the wound, the hairs on his arm, the wound itself--all purple. The same dark violet he was used to seeing in the mirror, in his own eyes. His half-Galran eyes. And now the color was everywhere, it seemed.

He started to shake. "Coran?" his voice whimpered, embarrassingly like a child asking for comfort from a nightmare. He looked at his trembling hands, some rational part of him trying to steady himself. _They're still pale, see? You're alright, it'll go away. It'll heal. Like the wound on your hand, remember?_ his mind said on a loop. _Control yourself_ , it said. 

He realized Coran had been saying his name. "Are you alright? What's wrong? Don't all humans bleed?" Coran asked. 

_He doesn't even think there's a problem,_ Keith thought. That was kind of comforting, in a way. "Yes, but not with purple blood Coran. We--they--bleed red. Remember Lance after the bomb?" His voice was surprisingly calmed.

"Ah, no, the lighting was rather poor with the lights out and all. And my head was on a bit crooked after the explosion as well," he said brightly. 

"But this doesn't make sense. I've been hurt before. I've _bled_ before, many times. Always red. Why purple now?"

"It very well could be a change in your biochemical makeup. Organisms with copper as the bonding ion in their blood have blue blood, for instance. With red blood, it's iron. In Galra blood, they have a unique metal, called luxite, that makes their blood purple." Coran recited all of this like a living textbook. But Keith noticed there was a glint of concern behind the optimistic tones. 

"Luxite," Keith whispered. He looked around the room, suddenly feeling twice as exhausted as he'd already been. His vision blurred. He slumped forward into Coran's surprised arms, and surrendered to the black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on tumblr, vol-tron-he11 or main blog ver-ironica


	2. Truth, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith continues to learn about his identity, and has to make a decision for the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

Now it was cold. 

Colors flickered and flared before him. He couldn't really piece anything into a cohesive image, but his gut told him it was a story. Something important he was supposed to remember. 

The bright lights of the castle suddenly burned into his eyelids, and Keith felt himself falling forward before he could realize it. Sturdy, long arms caught him. He wearily opened his eyes, seeing dark hands on his arms. 

"Keith, buddy, how are you doing?" Hunk asked. 

He looked into his warm brown eyes. He just nodded, afraid to speak. 

He tried to put all his weight onto his own shaky legs, but they gave out from under him. Hunk steadied him again. "That's okay, buddy, I got you. Let's get you some food."

_He must not know I'm Galra,_ Keith realized suddenly. Hunk would never be so friendly with even a part-Galran, not after what he'd seen them do to Shay's people and the Balmera. 

"Hunk," he said softly. "Hunk, I'm part Galra."

"Uh, yeah, I heard, buddy. Don't worry about talking right now," Hunk said easily.

"You what?" Keith asked stupidly. _He knows? And he's still taking care of me?_

"It's not exactly that big of a ship," a voice interjected matter-of-factly. _Pidge?_

Keith lifted his head up, using a surprising amount of energy. He hadn't even registered everyone in the hallway walking with him. Pidge _was_ there, and so were Coran and Lance. They were all walking slowly, matching his tired, limping pace. 

But while he was tired, he wasn't hurting. He felt cold, stiff, and weak, but his shoulder felt fine. He was also hungry, enough to almost make him feel sick. What time was it? How long had it been since he'd eaten?

He tried to murmur the question to Coran, but his voice wasn't loud enough.

Hunk did hear, though. "Coran, how long was he in there?" 

"Only three of your Earth days," Coran answered primly. 

_Only?_ Keith thought with dismay. _My shoulder!_ the thought burst at him suddenly. He looked to his right, but was now in the healing pod suit. Coran must've finished cleaning him up after he'd passed out. He would have to wait and see it later, but at the moment he almost sagged to the floor with relief. At least none of the other paladins would see him with the purple skin and blood, more alien than ever before. 

They made it to the kitchen, Pidge and Hunk trying to chatter about something technical, but their conversation for once didn't seem casual. Keith thought they must be trying to keep up appearances in front of him. Coran would interject a point or two, but Lance had been strangely silent. 

When Keith glanced at him, he met Lance's blue eyes already staring at him, with an expression Keith couldn't identify. It made his stomach sink. 

He returned his attention back to the special goo Hunk had made for him. It had strange alien fruits arranged on its surface in the shape of a smiling face. It was sweet, and Keith ate as quickly as he could without making himself sick. Surviving came easy to Keith in times of stress, and he had no shortage of appetite at that moment. 

_A Galra trait?_ he wondered idly.

Another thought came to him. "Where is my knife?" he asked. Coran glanced at him, and he realized he'd rudely interrupted the conversation they'd been pretending to have. Hunk and Pidge looked at each other. 

Lance answered. "Shiro had to give it to Allura," he said gently. 

Keith's mind flashed with a red panic. "Allura?" 

"He's been talking with her a lot these past few days. She's barely even talked to any of us lately. She's currently running every possible scan the castle can perform on your knife. She's convinced it's dangerous," Lance said, and paused. "She isn't taking it very well."

Keith took another bite, trying to calm himself. _She hates me._ He knew this with certainty. She'd never been very warm to him in the first place. He felt like he'd made a small sort of friendship when they'd both snuck out of the castle a few weeks ago, but that was most surely gone now. 

The tentative comfort his friends were giving him would surely fade once Allura made up her mind. She may have already decided to throw Keith out. There's no way they'd stand against the princess, the only guide to the hope of the universe that was Voltron. Losing a friend or two wasn't anything in the scale of the lives they were saving. 

Lance reached out, putting a hand on the shoulder that had been injured. Keith instinctively tried to jerk away, but Lance held on. "It'll be okay, Keith," he said, his voice absolute. 

Keith had never seen Lance so solemn, so resolute. He nodded, too surprised to answer. It was like Lance had known what he was thinking, the conclusions he'd come to. 

He looked down at his plate, scraped clean. He was content now, physically at least. 

"Can I--" he tried asking, but his voice came out small and timid. He cleared his throat. "Can I go to sleep for a bit?" he asked, looking at all of the eyes in the room, landing on Coran's last. 

Coran nodded, and smiled a smile that was surprisingly soft and considerate, almost fatherly, if Keith knew what a fatherly smile would look like. The vision he saw during the Blade's trial flashed before his mind. He pushed it away. 

"You go right ahead and take your time to relax, Number 4," he said. 

Hunk offered to help walk him there, but when Keith stood, his legs held him. He assured his team he would be fine. 

He glanced over his shoulder as he left, and met Lance's eyes again, which remained full of an emotion Keith couldn't place. 

\---


	3. Truth, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continued portion of Chapter 2

Keith's mind whirled despite his exhaustion.

Coran had said luxite was the metal used to bind oxygen to the blood of Galra. And Keith knew enough from the Garrison biology classes that pilots and engineers needed crucial iron supplements for space travel. With low oxygen concentrations, you needed to bind as much as possible in your blood to survive. 

Keith hadn't been exposed to any luxite traces until the blade had pierced his skin. Was that enough for his body to begin using the metal in the surrounding blood, even as it dripped out of him? 

Then again, he didn't have any idea of what was in the green food goo, or the food Hunk scrounged up for special occasions. The metal was uncommon, certainly not common enough for forging more Blades, but could it be present enough in his diet that gave his body a bit of a baseline to react the way it did from the Blade?

Keith paced around his room, anxious to remove his healing pod suit. _It doesn't change anything,_ he told himself. His hands hovered over the zipper, hesitating a bit before quickly tearing it open. He threw it off, like removing a Band-aid as a kid. He stared into the mirror. 

He looked normal. No purple, spreading out like some huge terrible bruise. He was healed and whole. 

He breathed a sigh of relief and threw himself down onto his bed. Though his mind was far from at peace, it was quieted enough that he fell asleep instantly. 

\--- 

When Keith awoke, he held his hand up toward the ceiling. He wondered how it had turned purple, all those months ago, when the witch Haggar had struck him with her magic. Curiosity was an incurable habit of his; he's always wanted to know the truth. 

But now even his own identity wasn't making sense. 

He decided to get dressed, and take his problems one at a time. For now he was okay, with no purple traces on his skin. He had a bigger problem. 

He needed to talk to Allura today. 

His room door sighed open, and he was surprised to see Lance walking by, in his Paladin armor, pushing a load of mechanical bits in a hovering cart. He was singing a song in Spanish, moving his hips a little as he walked. Keith's chest panged at how carefree he seemed. 

"Hey Keith, feeling better?" he asked him. His face didn't fall completely to the strange expression he'd had yesterday, and he gave Keith a little crooked smile. But his eyes seemed a little guarded. 

"Yeah, are you--are you okay, Lance?" Keith blurted. He wasn't quite himself yet, and in doubt he was impulsive. 

"I'm fine, buddy. I'm helping Coran restore some of the exterior of the ship. This thing is pretty, but I feel like we're in a tin can that keeps getting kicked sometimes," Lance joked easily. His eyes had a sparkle now. 

Keith actually gave a little smile, too. "Do you know where Allura is?" he asked. 

"Probably still talking with those Blade guys. You should wait a bit," Lance said. "They're coming up with a crazy plan. Coran had to put me to work because I kept interrupting," he said in a voice that sounded considerably like pouting. 

"Oh," Keith said, but wasn't too terribly disappointed by the delay. _More time to think,_ he thought. "Thanks for the heads-up." 

Lance nodded and continued pushing his load, humming a bit. 

_Where is Shiro?_ Keith wondered. He pushed on through the ship, looking. 

He almost ran into Coran leaving one of the common rooms. "Easy there, Number 4!" he yelled. He had a handful of juice pouches in his arms, probably for the other paladins helping him with repairs. 

"Coran! Do you have a second?" Keith asked. 

"A second what?" Coran asked. 

"No, I mean, a tick?" Keith amended. 

"Oh! Well I suppose. What do you need?" 

Keith lowered his voice. "Did you tell anyone about my shoulder?" 

"That it was wounded? I think everyone saw, Number 4." 

"No, I mean that it was purple," Keith clarified. 

Coran's face became serious. "You were very distraught to see it that way. I didn't say anything. Is that okay?" Coran asked meaningfully. 

Keith relaxed. "Yes, thank you, Coran." 

Coran averted his eyes nervously. "I've spoken with Allura about you a bit, Keith. I think she'll approve of you remaining the Red Paladin, especially after I mentioned the havoc your protective Red Lion could cause." He lowered his voice even further. "But I have no reason to think she'd be very understanding of something that would make you feel doubt about yourself, if you catch my meaning. You need to stay true to your impeccable, impulsive nature!" 

Keith knew what he meant. Coran had seen the panic the wound had given Keith. If she knew about it, Allura could use that doubt to prove that Keith didn't know that he actually was in fact a good person. If Keith couldn't trust himself, why should the universe? 

It was a very scary thought that Keith didn't have an answer to. 

"Thanks, Coran," he said, not voicing his concerns. "And would you mind if I met up with you later to discuss some more?" 

"I certainly don't mind, Keith! But right now I have a favor for you. I need you to go find Hunk, and run an easy mission for me. Shouldn't take you more than a few vargas." 

"No problem," Keith said, but felt like Coran had a different translation for the word "easy." 

\--- 

Keith saw Allura as he and Hunk made their preparations to leave, with Coran giving them vague advice about the Weblum they were about to explore. 

Allura did not meet his eyes or speak to him. He was not given his Blade back. Shiro was not there. 

He tried to relax and be a good companion for Hunk. Keith made his own decisions about his life, not some princess. He would be the best person he could be. He would be the leader Shiro wanted him to be. Allura wouldn't be able to stop him. 

But that didn't mean he was fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for some edits later, I may have missed some details. Let me know if you guys notice anything. Thanks for reading!


	4. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith hasn't talked much to Shiro since they returned from the Blade of Marmora base. His self-doubt is mounting ever higher, and he is scared to fall under Allura's hatred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all like lots of little updates.
> 
> I'm taking a few liberties in this chapter with the canon plot, and re-imagining the conflict of Allura, Keith, Shiro, and Keith's heritage.

Hunk was still laughing. 

"I gotta tell ya guys, Galra Keith is way funnier than regular Keith," he laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. 

His story had made Lance, Pidge, and Coran laugh. Coran was only slightly apologetic about the corrupted training video, insisting that learning on the job was more useful, anyway. And after hearing Lance and Pidge recount their adventure, Keith felt a bit lucky that his own mission went as smoothly as it had, considering. 

His tension had been eased a bit, thanks to Hunk's warm nature and easy smiles. It was good to hear his companions laugh through their radios as well. Apparently, Shiro was too busy trying to not strangle Slav that he wasn't speaking. Coran noted that the super warp was coming along nicely. 

All the preparations were just making Keith nervous. He was confident that they stood a chance, but only as a team. If Allura wouldn't trust him...

He just really wanted to talk to Shiro. 

It didn't seem like Shiro was avoiding him, and yet they hadn't spoken since they had returned. He'd seen Shiro once, before they split up. He'd hugged him, and told him how important he was to him. But it still didn't feel like it was enough. Even though Allura would be there, Keith was excited to just return to the castle safely, and see Shiro again. 

_What about Lance?_ his mind whispered, to his surprise. Lance? Why did he come into his head at a time like this? Keith thought about the looks of concern Lance had been giving him. There was no pity, no jokes--just Lance being there for him, in his Lance way. Even if Keith didn't understand all of the expressions Lance had been making, it was still clear that Lance didn't think of him as something abhorrent or evil. 

It would be nice to see Lance. In fact, just seeing that crooked grin would help a lot right now. 

_Okay, that's weird,_ his mind insisted. 

\---

They received the Princess's distress signal, requesting they aid her at the Bulmera immediately. The Robobeast had come back to life. Keith put what he hoped was a comforting hand on Hunk's shoulder.

"Shay," Hunk whispered as he directed his Lion through the wormhole.

They fought hard, and adrenaline took over Keith's thoughts. His instincts screamed at him, his Lion fierce in his mind. 

It was a hard won battle. 

\---

"Allura," Keith demanded. He hadn't changed, he was still in his sweaty Paladin armor, breathing hard. He just risked his life for the Princess's cause, and she still wouldn't look him in the eye. His purple part-Galra eyes. 

"Allura," he said again, with a tinge of desperation. He was trying so hard to not let the fire in his chest control him. He wanted to yell, to scream, to _fight_. This wasn't right; Allura was wrong about him. But being angry would only prove that he _was_ a monster. 

Allura was turned around, looking at the crystal in the center of the control room. The rest of the team was busy cleaning up, making repairs, and preparing for the next objective.

"You're a monster, it doesn't matter what you do," she spat. 

"You know you don't believe that," he said. "You know I'm a good person. You _know_ that. And that's what's upsetting you. It's not that I'm Galra, it's that I'm Galra and _good_." 

It started to feel like the lights in the room were too bright. His vision seemed to be tinged with yellow.

She finally turned around to face him. He almost took a step backward at her expression.

"You're good? What do you even know of good? You have no moral compass. I've seen how you fight, ruthlessly and savage. Just because your sword is pointed at the worse enemy doesn't make you _good._ " 

Her words ripped through him like the Blade had during the Trails of Marmora. How _did_ he know he was a good person? 

"Shiro wants me to be a leader," he said, his voice strained. "You think the Leader of Voltron has a bad judgement? He thinks I'm good."

"I think you have deceived him. Just as you've looked human your entire life, and deceived everyone you've known." She looked him in the eye, her pupils lit with rage. 

And something else. There was pain in them. They hurt to look at. 

"Allura, there's no reason for you to say this. I only just learned the truth. And I only learned by giving it up in order to fight for the Universe. There must be--"

"There mustn't be anything!" she shrieked, her voice going hysterical. "After what the Galra have done to me, there is no reason for me to trust or be kind to you. I simply have to continue to hope the Universe takes your foul presence away from me itself."

Tears of anger and hurt suddenly welled in Keith's eyes. "Fine," he said, resigned. He had done all that he could. 

Allura gasped, but Keith ignored it, and turned to walk to his room.

He ran into Shiro. 

"Hey, Keith," he said. 

"Hey, Shiro," Keith answered, not bothering to pretend to be happy. "I'm sorry, I need to clean up." He tried to move past Shiro, but he placed an arm on his shoulder.

"Can you wait a minute longer?" he asked in his strong tone.

Allura glared at him. She looked at the hand on Keith's shoulder, and her eyes kindled with an even stronger fury. 

"Why can't you see, Shiro?" she demanded. "He's a monster. Look at his _eyes_." 

"Princess, give him back his Blade, and apologize," Shiro said, without even a hint of hesitation in his voice. 

"I will _not_."

"Allura." Shiro's voice broke slightly.

At this, Allura froze. 

"Allura, what is really the problem here? Keith has done nothing but strive to defend the Universe from evil. Why does it matter where he came from?"

"Because," she said, the fire flickering from her eyes, "because no one else saw. No one else saw what I saw. No one believed me last time. No one listened. Just like this. No one would believe me."

She began gasping for air, her chest heaving in her space suit. Tears pooled over in her eyes, but she didn't move to wipe them away. She slowly crumpled down to the floor. 

"My best friend had been Galra," she began. "He knew his father was planning an attack. He knew, but said everything would be alright, that Altea would still be an ally. I could see the signs, the whispers between Galra in my palace that would cease when I entered the room. I could tell they meant harm to us. But he told me the Galra would never hurt us." Her face lifted back up, looking at Shiro, and then at Keith as she said, "But they did. Lotor told me they wouldn't, but he _lied._ "

 _Lotor?_ Keith thought. 

"And now," she said, slowly getting to her feet. "I see the same thing again. A trusted ally is revealed to be Galra, and insists he won't hurt us. And I must blindly trust him?" 

"Princess, you're not blindly trusting him, you're blindly hating him. Something's not right with you. None of that is Keith's fault. That was ten thousand years ago. Can you please see past your pain?" He put his arms around her. "Please," he added softly. 

She began sobbing in earnest. She went limp in his arms, but he held her firm. "Shiro," she cried. "It hurts so much. My chest aches when I think of my people. I--I--" she broke off into more sobs. "I loved him, Shiro, don't you understand? And he betrayed me." 

"We can work on it, Princess. The Galra took a lot from me, too. They took my hand, my memories. I only have the faintest flickers of my life before I left Earth. And I remember Keith in them, Princess. He's not what you believe he is," he murmured to her. 

_She loved me?_ Keith thought at first, confused. Then he considered her anger resurfacing after mentioning her past. _No,_ he realized, _she means this Lotor, doesn't she?_

Her sobs continued for several minutes, with Shiro rubbing soothing circles on her back. 

He looked at Keith. "Your Blade is in the second basement containment room," he told him softly. "I'll keep talking to her, okay? You go ahead."

"No," Allura mumbled, lifting her face. 

So quiet that Keith barely heard, Shiro said, "Please, Allura," with a voice about to break. 

"No, I must apologize." She closed her eyes, clearing her throat. She opened them, and met Keith's. "I've unleashed ten thousand years of anger onto you, who did not deserve it. I was wrong. I _am_ wrong, but I cannot let this go so easily. I will do my best to forgive, and let go of my anger. I was greatly wronged by your ancestors, and I will never be able to forgive them. But I need to separate you from them. You are not them." 

"Princess, that's also not right," Keith said before he could stop himself. "I _am_ Galra. Without their conquering of the Universe, there is no way their race would have made it as far as my home on Earth. I am a product of their domination. Do not separate me from my heritage, just know I chose to go against it. I chose to be good. I chose to help save the lives of as many people as I can. And I am Galra, and good. Both."

She looked down, and nodded slowly. He could tell she did not fully trust or like him, but she was trying. 

She stepped back from Shiro, but allowed him to keep his hand on her arm. "I will take what you've said into consideration, Keith. Please...forgive me." 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!


	5. Slowly Getting Faster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith receives comfort from an unlikely source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of controlled fighting in this chapter. Not too violent or descriptive, though, but some blood.

Keith held his knife in his hands, studying the blade, like he used to do most minutes of spare time in his life. He pricked the tip of his finger with the knife, and waited. 

It was much more immediate than he thought it would be. His blood welled red, and before it even beaded down, had begun to darken. His hand quickly started turning violet. His breathing sped up. 

_Control it,_ he told himself. _Calm down._ His breathing slowed, even as his hand continued to bleed purple. 

He grabbed a towel, and began dabbing at the cut, while inspecting his hand. Where the blood flowed in his veins, the skin was darker. But even places where blood doesn't reach, like his hairs and fingernails, were also a light purple. "How does that work?" he mumbled aloud.

 _Am I really not a monster?_

"Hey Keith?" a voice asked outside his door, followed by a soft couple of knocks on the metal. "Can I come in?"

It was Lance. Keith moved to the door, but looked down at his purple hand. "Uh, give me a second," he said quickly, panicking. He grabbed his gloves, and pulled his jacket on, tugging the sleeve lower. As long as he kept it balled in a fist, it didn't look too weird. 

He opened the door with his other hand. "Hey Lance," he said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's really going on, just trying to get ready for the final battle. Kolivan and Allura have been hammering out the details all night. She seems to be being a bit more relaxed with him. Not completely, but she isn't glaring every two seconds, and she sighs a lot." 

Lance looked at Keith, with that unreadable expression again. Keith began to think of it as a signature emotion to Lance. Something hopeful, sad, supportive, happy, and resolved, all in one. "Is that thanks to you?" Lance asked.

"Uh, you could say that. Shiro probably did more than I did," Keith said quietly, his right hand balled tightly in a fist at his side. 

"Well, I figured that probably wasn't easy. So, anyway, thanks for taking one for the team," Lance said with his little crooked smile. 

It actually got a little laugh out of Keith. "I guess I did."

"Well, I'm just gonna keep getting ready," Lance said. "Goodnight, Keith." 

Keith nodded a goodnight and closed his door. How Lance could make him laugh right now, he had no idea, but he was thankful for it. He glanced down at his hand. 

The purple was gone. 

For some reason, this worried him more than the purple remaining. The cut was still there, how was the color gone?

As he panicked, his breathing sped up a little, and he could feel his heart pounding. As this happened, the purple started returning. 

_What?_

He froze, and tried to control his breathing. _Calm down,_ he told himself. He breathed in, counted to ten, and slowly exhaled. He looked back down at his hand. The color was receding. 

He continued his breathing exercise, occasionally glancing down. The purple continued to vanish. 

_I can_ control _it?_ he thought incredulously. 

His mind flashed back to Allura, all those months ago, when she'd changed her appearance to disguise herself as a Galra. _"Alteans are a chameleon-like people,"_ her voice echoed in his mind. 

_Are Galra able to control their appearances as well?_

He focused, looking at the small cut on his forefinger again. He concentrated, and waited. 

_Turn purple, right now,_ he ordered in his mind. 

Nothing happened. 

He pursed his lips, trying not to get angry. "Turn purple," he commanded aloud. 

His hand remained a creamy white. 

"Agh! Why is this so confusing?" he asked the Universe. "Turn purple! Now!" he yelled. 

His entire arm flushed a deep, violet purple. 

He yelled in surprise and staggered back, even though his arm was attached to him. He put his left hand on his right shoulder, as if holding the color back. 

"Okay, okay, please calm down," he said aloud to himself. "It's okay, just some color. Breathe."

He had to start over his calming breaths, but once he got into the rhythm, the color receded much faster this time. Soon, both his arms were pale once more. 

_Could the Blade have awoken this ability in me? Or have I had it all along?_

_What do I really look like, if I've just been pretending this whole time?_

He didn't want to know. Not yet. 

He suddenly realized he was very hungry. Had the changing exhausted him? 

He held a hand carefully to his stomach, feeling it rumble. Despite his anxiety, he felt a spark of excitement. He was figuring it out. He could control it. 

Keith began to make his way to the kitchen. He saw Pidge furiously tapping away at her computer a few rooms away, inputting crucial information she had gathered from the prison before the fight tomorrow. He let her be. 

Hunk was in the kitchen, stress baking. "Hey Keith," he said kindly. 

Keith said hi and spoke with him a bit about small things, neither of them wanting to discuss the future battle. 

Keith left soon after, though, and took the longer way back to his room, trying to clear his head some more, absentmindedly sipping at a juice pack he'd grabbed.

Then he paused, and listened. He could hear Lance. 

He followed the noise around a corner, and to the training deck. 

Lance was in an undershirt with his Paladin armor on up to his waist, the top half strewn on the floor by the door. He had his bayard out in gun form, and was aiming at targets near the opposite wall. They were moving fast, some forward and back, and some zipping side to side. He was breathing hard, but never missed a shot. He finally struck the last flying drone, and sighed, dropping to the floor. 

"End training sequence," he gasped out. 

"Lance?" Keith asked from the doorway. 

He sat up from the floor, wiping at the sweat on his forehead. "Oh, Keith, how--what's up?" he asked, a bit dazed. 

"That looked crazy," Keith noted. 

Lance gave a little breathy laugh. "Yeah, man. I can tell you're worried about me. But it takes more than a few orbs to get this sharpshooter down," he bragged. 

Keith gave a little roll of his eyes. "Yeah, that must be it." He paused. "Are you--"

"Yes," Lance interrupted. "I'm training for tomorrow."

Keith felt his expression turn surprised. "Oh," was all he said. How had Lance know that was what he was going to ask him?

"That was really what you were going to ask? Man, I'm good," Lance said, and Keith realized he'd just gotten lucky. 

Keith came into the room and sat on the floor next to Lance. He offered his juice pack. "Want some juice? I've already drank a little, hope you don't mind."

"Oh thanks man," Lance said, reaching for the pouch. "We've poked around in head holes before, I don't think germs are that big a deal, even if yours are all Galra-y."

Keith laughed. "I guess you're right." 

He sipped at the juice, and then let out a contented sigh. "Ah, that's perfect." 

"Wanna spar?" Keith blurted. 

Lance looked at him, only a little surprised. "My weapon isn't very good at close range. You have an unfair advantage."

"No weapons?"

Lance pursed his lips. "I think you'd still have an advantage. But still, it might do me some good. Okay, sure."

They stood, Keith in his t-shirt and jeans, and Lance in his tank top and Paladin armor. 

"I think you could really hurt me with those boots," Keith said, pointing down. 

"Good point," Lance agreed, and pulled the pieces apart. He wore simple Altean shorts underneath.

"Okay, you ready?" Keith asked. Lance nodded. 

They each settled into crouches, as they'd been taught. Keith lashed out experimentally, testing Lance's reflexes. He easily dodged, and tossed out a kick at Keith. 

They continued this pattern, their moves slowly getting faster, more complex. Lance's fighting style was eager and light, making him easy to predict. Keith was more impulsive, and went with his gut. 

Soon, Keith obviously had the upper hand. He was pushing Lance back, and Lance was growing more defensive. Keith was still careful, following their easy rules of sparing: no hard attacks above the neck, not carrying moves all the way through once contact is reached. 

Keith was in control, taking care not to hurt Lance. 

Lance was less reigned in, however. Not with anger, his lanky limbs just moved a bit more than he seemed to intend. Lance was a lot stronger than he gave himself credit for. On the hits that he let loose, he actually gave Keith a bit of pain. 

But Keith's skill couldn't be denied. Lance seemed to be losing himself in the fight. He suddenly threw a punch wildly at Keith, striking him hard in the nose. 

The pain was staggering, like someone had driven ice into Keith's head. "Ah," he gasped. 

"Keith?" Lance asked. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, does it hurt?"

Keith couldn't answer Lance. He felt blood welling under his fingers. His nose was broken. 

But something else was wrong. "Keith? Oh God, Keith!" Lance gasped. 

He tried to open his eyes, and winced. The lights seemed so bright, and hurt his head. He looked down at the hands hovering over his nose. The blood dripping down them was purple. 

He looked at Lance, panic seizing his chest. He couldn't breathe. All he could see was Lance's stricken face under too-bright lights. All he could smell was his own blood. All he could hear was the beating of his heart in his ears. 

But Lance's expression changed. He grew serious. "It's okay, Keith," he said. "Calm down. I'll need to set that for you. Let me go get some ice."

Keith tried to shake his head, but the pain made his eyes water. Yellow seemed to override his vision as the tears it clouded over before spilling. "Lance, I'm--"

"I know, it hurts, I know. I'll be right back okay? Don't move." Lance placed an arm on his shoulder. "It's okay, Keith" he said again. 

And he was gone.

Keith started to breath heavily again without his comforting presence. His entire face hurt. His tongue roamed in his mouth, trying to find the source of the rest of the pain. 

"Ah--" he gasped as his tongue grazed something sharp. _Oh no,_ he realized. His teeth were sharp.

"No, no, no," he mumbled on a loop, full of disbelief. He ran as fast as he could over to the mirrors in the showers, just through a door on the side of the training room. 

"No, no, no," he said again, looking at the face in the mirror. 

He was normal from his collarbone down. But his neck up...

"I'm a monster," he gasped. 

His broken nose was a mottled purple in the center of his face, already swelling. The blood dribbling from it was purple. And the skin around it was violet, all the way to the tips of his ears, which had elongated slightly, fanned out and pointed. His teeth felt too big for his mouth, with their points stabbing at his too-curious tongue. His eyes seemed tinged yellow around his hard irises. 

"No, no, no, no," he repeated. He splashed some water from the sink onto his face, trying to breathe. It soothed the pain just a bit.

 _Control it,_ he thought. _Breathe._

"Keith?" he heard Lance call from the training room. 

_Did he see?_ Keith wondered. _I should hide it. I--_

"Keith," Lance said, panting, from the doorway. "It's okay, let me set it before it heals wrong."

"Let you..." Keith began to repeat, his mind numb. "Lance, I--" 

"It's okay, you're fine," Lance said, striding over to him on those long legs of his. "I'm so sorry, I lost myself a little there. You're just really great to practice with, and my mind went on autopilot. I'm so sorry, Keith."

Keith couldn't respond. The bleeding had slowed, and the lights seemed less harsh. But his thoughts were still hard to focus. 

"Sit down," Lance ordered gently, pointing at a nearby bench. Keith did as he was told.

"This will hurt a lot," Lance warned. "I'm sorry, Keith, we'll put you right in a pod afterward."

And quicker than Keith could register, Lance's hands were on his nose, gently testing the cartilage, and then yanking it into place.

"Ah," he cried out. He could feel the pain radiate throughout his face, could _feel_ the change of his features sharpening. 

"It's okay, it's okay," Lance soothed, looking apologetic and scared. 

"You're scared," Keith gasped. 

"No, not of you," Lance said quickly. "I'm scared that you're hurting. It's my fault, I'm sorry."

He tried to force himself to calm down. "Please, can we just go to my room? I don't want anyone to see," he said quietly.

Lance looked like he was about to protest, but maybe at Keith's earnest tone, he didn't. "Okay."

Keith pulled a towel off a hook, wrapping it around his head, holding down the ends so they formed a frame around his face that hid the sides of his face. They made their way out, Lance leaving his armor in the room. 

Thankfully, no one was out in the short stretch of hallways to Keith's room. He practically threw himself inside once they reached it. He sighed with relief, sitting wearily on the bed. 

"You must be feeling better," Lance noted. 

"Why? No, it still hurts," Keith said. 

"No, your ears just changed back to human shape, and your eyes are normal again. Is it because you feel better?" Lance said. 

Keith was surprised, but thankful. He relaxed a bit further. 

Lance gave him a little crooked smile. "You're looking more human every tick."

"I can control it," Keith admitted softly. "But I haven't figured it out yet. I don't know why it happens."

"This has happened before?" Lance asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't know you were part Galra."

Keith carefully shook his head. "Not until the Trial. I was wounded really badly on my shoulder, by one of the Blades. I think it cause some sort of reaction. It was purple, and made skin all around it purple. I tested it myself earlier this evening, pricking my finger with my own knife. It turned purple, too." 

"That doesn't explain this, though," Lance said. "I punched you. I'm not one of those fancy Galra Blades."

"I know," Keith said with defeat. "It's not making sense to me, either, yet. But I'll figure it out."

Lance just nodded.

"You seem to be taking this well," Keith commented. 

"I mean, Hunk said he kept looking at you in the Weblum, trying to figure out if you were purple. I guess I already considered that it could happen. It doesn't really matter."

_It doesn't matter?_

"You're still Keith, Keith," Lance said. "Still the second-best pilot in the Universe, still bad at jokes, even if you've started learning. Just now in a new color." He paused. "And I guess new eyes, ears, and teeth. But that's not so bad." 

Keith let his tongue roam his teeth again, feeling that they weren't sharp anymore. He considered Lance's words. Was he sincere?

"I mean it," Lance said, as if reading his mind. "And also, you should bandage that up." He pointed at Keith's nose.

"I..." Keith said articulately. 

"Need help?" Lance asked. Keith nodded. 

Lance grabbed the bandages that Keith told him he kept in one of his drawers, and sat across from him on the bed. Lance moved methodically, like he'd done it before. Keith knew he had a big family, and the thought occurred to him that he must have. 

"I won't tell anyone," Lance said once he was done.

"Thank you," Keith said. "Just until I can control it."

Lance nodded, and then was gone, leaving Keith alone with his thoughts the night before the battle with Zarkon. 

\---


	6. Repeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is gone.

Surprisingly, Keith slept well.

Small problems kept him up at night. But the big ones? Shiro being declared dead with no further investigation, the Garrison expelling him for disciplinary issues--those his body helped him ignore. He considered this a blessing. The prospect of saving the entire Universe put him right to a black, dreamless sleep. The prospect of never regaining his humanity sang him a lullaby. 

But when he woke up, it would hit him all at once, with a staggering force. 

After hyperventilating in his shower for a few moments, he felt calm enough to hurry to his armor, and meet the others in the control room. 

Allura eyed him as he came in, not with apology or hatred, but a resigned acceptance. It was a step, anyway. 

"Paladins," she said gravely. "I realize that Voltron is not the force it once was."

The Paladins winced collectively.

"I mean that in a good way," she said. "The Paladins of old are gone. The evil of my past has only grown in their absence. And mine. I am also to blame for the sake of the Universe. However," she paused, looking at each of them, "I do not want to cling to the past any longer. I miss my old family, my old friends, my home planet. But I have a new family now." She looked at Keith. "I'm going to do everything I can to protect and guide my new family."

"Thank you, Princess," Shiro answered for them, and they nodded in agreement. 

Coran with the Blades, Kolian and Antok, approached Allura. Coran smiled brightly at her. "Your father would be proud. And now, everything is in place for one last fight."

Slav's voice rang out over the intercoms, "Everything? I think a few more weeks would be--"

"We're as ready as we need to be," Shiro snapped, interrupting him. Pidge hid a smile behind her hand.

Allura gave one of her soft, confident smiles. "Alright, team Voltron, then let's end this." 

And the battle went into motion.

\---

Keith can't seem to remember anything leading up to the empty chair before him. 

The battle had been a haze, just him following orders, or disobeying them when his instincts told him to. He remembered Thace, the Galra he met for a few moments before his death. It hurt him to think of Thace's sacrifice. 

But that wasn't anything compared to what he was feeling now. 

"Shiro?" he asked, his voice hoarse and his throat sore from yelling. 

The black chair remained empty. 

_"The Kerberos expedition team has been lost, likely due to pilot error. The ship was said to have crashed into the small moon's surface just a few hours ago..."_

Shiro was gone.

_"He's gone, Kogane. You're our best fighter class pilot, but if you keep getting into trouble like this, you won't be anymore. Understand, cadet?"_

Keith turned on his heel, brushing past his team's astonished faces. 

_I can't do this again, I can't,_ his mind screamed. He began hyperventilating, and his eyes wouldn't focus on what was in front of him. He broke out into a run, running back to his Lion. 

He didn't remember getting in, he just realized he was flying, his Lion roaring their shared pain out into the Universe. 

_What am I doing?_

_"I want you to lead Voltron, Keith,"_ Shiro's voice said in his mind. 

_This isn't how a leader is supposed to act,_ Keith thought, as he turned Red around. She let out a rumbling growl that shook his bones. _I have to stop running away. I need to control myself._

He returned his Lion to his hangar. The Yellow and Green Lions were gone, but the Blue Lion was still guiding the Black Lion into the larger landing bay. 

Keith realized his coms were still turned off. He quickly flicked them back on. 

"--and if he's not there, then what about the, oh, I don't know, the planet the Black Lion came from? Can anybody check the astral plane?" Lance's voice was streaming through, tinged with frustration and anxious. 

"Lance, now isn't the time for jokes," Allura scolded. 

"We need Pidge to playback the video feed from the coms within the Black Lion," Keith said with conviction. The instructions just came from a gut instinct. "We need to see if he fell out of his Lion, or if he was taken." 

"Copy that," Pidge said in a small voice. 

"Should we stop searching the surrounding area?" Hunk asked. His voice was shaky. 

"Allura, send out a castle scan as far as the scanners will reach, tuned to Shiro's armor or whatever you used to track us on the Bulmera," Keith said. "Wait for her scans, Hunk." 

"Copy." 

"All scans are complete. Unfortunately, scanning for his quintessence does not go very far. He's--he's not here--" Allura said, choking off. 

"Everyone, return to the castle," Keith said. 

His tone came out calm, without hesitation. Right now, he needed to do what Shiro said. He would need to be a leader. He would find Shiro. Again. 

\---  



	7. New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the team realizes Shiro has to battle his demons on his own, Keith has to step up as the new Leader. Lance helps him keep a handle on his control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks again for reading, it means so much to me!

"Princess, from what I'm seeing, Shiro completely vanished after Zarkon was defeated," Pidge said. Her expression was desolate behind her glasses. "All of our scans of the Black Lion and all the recordings show a flash of purple light, and then--poof--no Shiro." 

The team was silent. They'd already known there was bad news on the way, but for some reason hearing Pidge say it as sadly as she did hurt even more. 

They were standing in the control room, still battle weary and aching, but they had refused to relax for even a minute with Shiro gone. 

Keith knew this was a problem. "Alright, team, we're not going to make any headway right now. I'm not sure where Shiro is, but we know he isn't dead. Everyone, go get cleaned up and eat something."

Surprisingly, they did without protest. It felt empty in the control room without Shiro, and as much as the team didn't want to admit it, there was nothing for them to do there now. 

Only Lance hung back. He studied Keith for a moment, blue eyes narrowed. "What makes you sure that Shiro is alive?"

Keith shrugged, suddenly feeling a great weariness settle on him. His vision felt tinged with yellow. "I just feel it." 

Lance nodded, seeming appeased. He looked at him with that signature expression Keith was getting used to seeing. "Your eyes are glowing."

Keith froze. "They're _what?_ "

Lance held up his hands in a defensive pose. "It's not that bad, I don't think anyone else was paying attention. But when you pause and think, or just now, when I asked you about Shiro--they glow, just a little yellow."

_I guess that explains why I keep feeling like I'm seeing yellow,_ Keith realized. He hadn't put much thought to it at the time. Another thought occurred to him, that made his stomach clench.

"Are...are my pupils still there though?" Keith asked in a small voice. 

Lance gave him a little, crooked smile. "Yes, Keith, they're still there. I'd be pretty weirded out if they weren't." 

Keith swallowed something in his throat. 

"Well, I mean, I probably wouldn't be, now that I think about it. I mean, it sounds weird, like, I have no idea when the Galra are actually looking at me, you know? And how does it even work?"

Keith smiled a little. "I have no idea. I wish there was someone I could ask about this. But the Blades are mourning Antok and Thace right now. And even then, I don't think I could handle another Trial for more knowledge about myself." He shuddered at the thought. 

But it made Lance chuckle. "If anyone could handle it, I'm sure it'd be you, Keith."

Keith narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You love hunting for the truth. I mean, remember your cabin? You were in the middle of the desert and didn't stop following your gut for even a minute," Lance said. 

Keith didn't want to admit that searching for truths has been a driving force his entire life. Trying to find his dad, trying to know more about his mother, always feeling like no one was telling him the whole story. 

"I guess you're right," was all he said. 

Lance was silent for a minute. "Your eyes are back to normal. Wanna grab some food?" 

Keith looked again at the front seat in the control room that was for the Black Paladin. He took a deep breath--his chest ached. "Yeah, let's go."

\---


	8. Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance helps Keith get more comfortable with his identity. The team have to face the fact that the Galra Empire is too big to disappear overnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some mentions of abuse in this chapter, nothing too bad.

"The real question is how strong you actually are," Lance said. 

They were walking back to their rooms for some needed rest after eating. At first, the meal was quiet and reserved, everyone stuck in their own worries and thoughts about Shiro being gone. But Lance started making little jokes and teases, and the tension vanished from the room. Soon they had all been laughing along, and felt a lot better. 

It was so strange to Keith, that amazing ability to affect the team that Lance had. 

"What do you mean?" Keith asked,

"I mean, the Galra are a lot stronger than humans. Do you think you could be stronger too? Do you think you're strong right now, or do you need to go full Galra to be stronger?" Lance asked his questions with hardly a breath in between. 

"I--I don't know, Lance, I never really tried to use my strength. I'm fast, but I never got into weight lifting or anything like that." 

_Although..._ A memory flashed in his eyes. When he was a little kid, at the playground at school, a vision of a little boy with a broken nose was crying. His own knuckles were covered in the other boy's blood. The teachers were looking at him in disgust and fear. 

"Yellow again," Lance commented lightly, bringing Keith into the present. 

"Ah, damn, really?" he asked, more annoyed than surprised.

Lance gave a little chuckle. "Oh!" Lance said, suddenly excited. He turned to him, grabbing his arm. "I have an idea, Keith." 

Keith looked at him, nervous. "What would that be?"

"How about we test your abilities?"

"My what?" Keith said, confused.

"You go completely Galra, as Galra as you can!"

Lance was looking at him encouragingly, but all Keith could feel was a deep sense of dread. "What? No, no, I'm--I can't--I don't--" he tried to say, but his thoughts were panicked. 

"Well, maybe you need to practice so you can control yourself better. I mean, your eyes are glowing yellow every time you're stressed. And in case you haven't noticed, that's a lot. Eventually I won't be the only one to notice," Lance said, a bit more gently this time. 

Keith could feel his legs shaking a little. They'd stopped in the hallway, and he was nervous someone could hear. He knew Lance was right, thought. "Where?" he asked quietly.

Lance thought about it, putting a hand to his chin. "How about the pool? Remember, nobody ever goes there."

Keith considered it. The last time the two of them had gone there, it _had_ been empty. But then the elevator broke...

He couldn't come up with any better ideas. "Okay, but we need to rest first. Let's go."

Lance smiled crookedly. "Okay, okay, I yield to you, O Wise Head of Voltron," he laughed.

Keith narrowed his eyes at him. He new Shiro wanted him to be the leader, but that didn't mean he was the head. He was still the arm, even if that wasn't as authoritative. He would support the team until Shiro came back, and Shiro _would_ come back. 

But he didn't want to bother arguing right now, he just wanted sleep. 

They were at their doors now. "Get some sleep, Lance," he said.

"'Night, Keith!" he said as his doors shut. 

Keith looked at his room. His chest began aching, almost immediately without Lance to distract him. _How is he still so...Lance?_

It frustrated him how much it physically hurt that Shiro was gone. Again. He wanted to punch something. 

_That won't bring Shiro back, though,_ a rational part of his mind told him. He was angry that it was right.

Instead, he sat on his bed, and tried to breathe. He imagined the air filling up the hole in his chest, keeping it full until they found Shiro. He kept breathing, even as he felt tears under his closed eyelids. Even when his breath was growing ragged with sobs, he kept trying to focus. 

"Shiro," he said softly, succumbing to the tears. " _Dammit_ , Shiro, you weren't supposed to leave _again_."

He knew he was talking to the air, but it felt good to speak the words aloud. 

Eventually, he cried himself out, and fell backward on his bed and fell asleep.

\---

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Keith?"

Keith groaned, and opened his eyes. He was in his room, but something felt off. The knocks sounded again, and he stumbled to the door, squinting at the light as it opened.

Shiro was standing outside. 

"Hey Keith," he said.

Keith didn't say anything, just threw his arms around Shiro's waist. He wouldn't let himself cry. 

"It's okay, Keith, I'm okay. I promise. There's just one thing you need to know," Shiro said. He pushed Keith away from him, holding his shoulders as he looked him in the eye. "Never show anyone, you understand me?"

And suddenly it wasn't Shiro holding him at arm's length, but his dad. He looked around, and the walls of the ship were now the walls of his childhood home. "Where's Shiro?" Keith asked stupidly. 

"Boy, can't you listen to what I'm telling you? You put those goddamn ears away right now or I'll beat them off of you," his father said. 

Keith recoiled from the arms holding him. He was six years old again. His arms were purple, his vision was blurring yellow. His dad's face was stern and threatening. "Let go of me," he whimpered. 

"You change back to human. You do it _right now_ ," his father ordered.

"I don't know how! I am human, Dad, I'm not a monster!" he cried. He tried to make the purple go away. He thought of the strange songs his mother had hummed to him. The lullaby about a funny bird. 

His little arms weren't purple anymore. He was panting, and tired of fighting. His father relaxed his grip. "Now, Keith, you stay this way, you understand me?" 

Keith nodded, his little head bobbing. He didn't cry anymore. 

"Never show anyone, you understand me? Never."

\---

Keith woke up gasping, and threw himself out of bed. He ran into his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, to be sure he was actually awake. He started getting dressed and cleaning up to feel normal.

He dimly heard knocks at his door. His stomach knotted, and he was tempted to ignore it. 

"Hey Keith!" Lance's voice called. He relaxed. 

When he opened the door, Lance was giving him a little crooked smile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Uh, not very well," Keith admitted. 

"What's wrong?" Lance asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," he said. 

"Okay," Lance said easily. 

Keith swallowed. "But I think I remembered why I've always looked human," he said quietly.

"Really? And that's a good thing, I guess?"

"I'm not sure," Keith said. He could still feel his dad's big hands on his little shoulders. _That's not me anymore,_ he told himself.

"Would you still like to do what we talked about last night?" Lance asked. "I brought you breakfast."

"You--really?" Keith asked, noticing the plates in Lance's hands for the first time. 

"Hunk made his goo bacon and eggs today. They're my favorite, but I didn't think you'd want to be around everyone again yet."

That was pretty thoughtful. How did Lance predict that he'd had a bad night? Keith swallowed a lump in his throat. "Thanks, Lance."

"Eat while we're walking, let's go! We have a lot to do today!" Lance said, shoving the plate into Keith's hands.

He ate a few spoonfuls. "We need to make repairs to the castle. The canon blast did a lot of damage, didn't it?" Keith asked.

Lance nodded. "We also need to give Allura time to rest. She didn't show it yesterday, but, well, I think her quintessence or something was really messed up from that blast. She looked awful at breakfast, and I don't think it was solely from missing Shiro."

"Are they in love?" Keith asked Lance. He'd never been able to ask Shiro about it, but he was surprisingly curious today. In a mood to know more truths, he guessed.

"I think so," Lance answered. 

Keith nodded. He was happy to hear that someone else thought so. 

He'd always known Shiro didn't love him, ever since the Garrison. When Keith had told Shiro he liked boys, Shiro had told him that he was attracted to girls. Their relationship took on a more brotherly tone as Keith slowly moved on. They were finally, perfectly comfortable with each other when the Kerberos mission was officially scheduled. And when they'd rescued Shiro, he knew Shiro had lost most of his recent memories.

Including most of them about him. 

"I'm happy for him," Keith said honestly.

"Yeah, well, I'd be happier if he was here, but yeah," Lance agreed.

For some reason, Lance's little jokes distracted him enough that he could laugh along. 

Keith finished his breakfast by the time they reached the pool. Lance was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Why are you so excited?" Keith finally asked. 

"Keith, there is nothing more exciting that discovering something new in your own backyard," Lance recited immediately. 

"What does that mean?" Keith asked, bewildered. 

"I've known you for years now, and I just learned a completely new side of you. I'm excited to see what it is," Lance said, with a smile that was so smug it was almost shy. 

Keith could only shrug. "Okay. Then let's try it. Punch me."

"Uh, no?" Lance said. "That's not what this was about. You have to do it on your own."

Keith bit his lip. He thought about his entire arm flashing purple a few days ago. "I'm not sure I know how. I tried the other day, but it got way out of hand." 

"Just do your best. No one will see but me," Lance encouraged. 

Keith nodded and, trying not to feel self-conscious, he closed his eyes. _Control it,_ he commanded himself.

His stomach clenched, and he felt goosebumps raise along his arms. _It's alright to be Galra._

He opened his eyes. His vision was normal. He looked down to see his arms were still pale. "Arg!" he said in frustration. 

"Well, that was a good try, I guess," Lance said. "I didn't see anything. Maybe you have Galra organs?"

Keith looked at him. The water from the pool reflected interesting patterns of light on Lance's eyes. 

"You've only been using it defensively up until now," Lance mused, still trying to figure it out. He put a hand to his lips and made a humming noise, looking over at the water. He kept murmuring, but Keith wasn't listening.

Keith stared at him, and willed himself to become Galra. 

He blinked, and his vision became yellow. The dimmer lights of the pool room were suddenly bright to him. He winced, and felt ears tuck down against his skull. Lance turned back to him. 

"Whoa, Keith," he breathed. "Just a little bit freaky." 

Keith grew nervous. _I must be a monster..._

"No, don't be nervous, it's okay! It's just...different. You're ears aren't as big as other Galra. You've still got that awful hair. But you did lose your pupils this time, though. No, wait--" 

Lance peered into his eyes, getting close to Keith. "No, they're still there, just very faint. It's hard to see them under the glow," Lance observed.

Keith gasped as he realized Lance was looking _up_ into his face. He glanced down, his shirt was a bit too short, and his pants were at his ankles. 

"I'm--taller?" he gasped. 

Lance looked, too. "Haha!" he burst out. "Look at that! I'm shorter than you now!" 

Suddenly, Allura's voice blared over the intercoms. "Paladins! I need you in the control room, now!" 

Keith panicked. "How do I change back?" he asked desperately. He felt his ears move, which surprised him.

"I have no idea! I'm just a regular human," Lance said helplessly. 

Keith paused, and took deep breaths. 

"Dude, we don't have time for that, think of something else!" Lance snapped.

Keith bristled at his tone, but knew he was right. He flashed back to the nightmare he'd had this morning. He thought about the small snatch of lullaby he'd remembered. _Did my mother really sing to me?_ He wasn't sure. But he thought about the lyrics, something about a little bird. The bird flew from place to place, trying to make a nest. 

_Control it,_ he said to himself. And for the first time, he did. 

"Thank goodness," Lance said, letting him know he looked completely human. His eyes adjusted again, taking in the different lighting. 

"Okay, let's hurry," he said.

\---

Everyone else was already there and suited up by the time they got there, out of breath from sprinting through the castle.

"What's wrong, Princess?" Keith said, winded. 

"You need to get to your Lions. There is an enemy ship approaching us. We offered them peace, letting them know that Zarkon has been defeated. But they said the empire would not fall. They claimed their general, Lorkux, is now the new emperor. I'm sorry, but you need to defend the castle, Paladins," Allura said. "Coran, Slav, I need you both to get working on that barrier immediately." 

They nodded, and moved away, Slav only muttering one complaint this time. Maybe he missed Shiro, too.

"Alright Team Voltron, let's get to our Lions," Keith said. 

He looked at their faces. Pidge had dark smudges under her eyes. Hunk looked pale and worn out. Lance looked to him and nodded.

They went to their seats, and down into their lions.

\---

The lions flew out defensively in front of the castle. At the sight of them, Lorkux's forces began opening fire. 

_I think they're testing Voltron's abilities,_ Keith thought. _Maybe they're wondering if they should try to capture us or not._

"Okay guys, we can't form Voltron right now, but we don't want to let them know that. Pidge, get that shield in front of Lance and me. Hunk, you cover our left, barreling through what you can. Let's go," Keith said. He listened to his gut, and the orders came naturally. 

They agreed, and moved out into formation. No one mentioned the emptiness without the Black Lion. 

The fleet split into three sections, and they moved in, trying to cut off Hunk and Pidge from Lance and Keith. 

"They want to split us up," Lance warned.

"We're taking heavy fire, Paladins, if you would please hurry up!" Allura commanded over the coms.

The Lions pulled in tighter, and began to advance. Keith let his blasters take out the smaller drone ships, but his main focus was on Lorkux's massive fighter. His tail began to charge its fire attack, but had to stop as another drone surprised him. 

Its lasers were no match for the Red Lion's armor, but the impact was always jarring. His head fell back against his seat as felt the snap of whiplash. _Ignore the pain, you've felt worse,_ he told himself. 

Ice suddenly engulfed the ship, and Lance said over the coms, "I've got your back, Keith."

"Thanks, Lance," he grunted. He charged his fire again, this time successful as he trailed a destructive line across the giant hull. A few explosions followed, but the ship still loomed over them. 

_Voltron would destroy it in seconds,_ Keith thought. His giant sword would've been able to tear through it like food goo.

He glanced to his left. Hunk was using the huge Yellow Lion to keep drones from getting near the castle. 

"What's the point of fighting if Zarkon is Zar-gone?" he cried. 

The team groaned at his terrible pun, and he gave a tiny chuckle. But he did have a good point. It was annoying that they had to clean up the Empire's messes, but they knew this would happen. Some of the planets have been colonies for thousands of years; a simple power collapse wouldn't change anything there. 

"Don't worry about that now, Hunk, just keep doing what you're doing," Keith said.

"Okay," he said, but Keith could hear he was getting a bit overwhelmed. 

Another Lion would've made this a whole lot easier. 

_Don't think about it, don't think about it,_ his mind repeated.

"Guys, I'm taking a bit of--oof!" Pidge started, but was cutoff as a strong blast from the big battleship hit her Lion.

"Pidge!" Lance cried. 

"Lance, give Pidge some more cover. Are you alright, Pidge?" Keith asked.

"I--yeah," she groaned. 

"I'm right here, Pidge," Lance said as he shot drones left and right. 

Five larger drones swooped in close, cutting Lance off from reaching Pidge. 

Keith immediately sped in, using his Lion's agility to weave through the fleet. He was more focused on flying than shooting, but his Lion didn't reign in her temper, roaring as she shot behind them. The drones exploded.

 _That's my girl,_ Keith thought. She seemed to purr in response.

"Pidge, are you okay?" Keith asked. 

"That battleship keeps honing in on me!" she yelled in frustration.

For some reason, Lorkux kept firing solely at the Green Lion. _Picking off the smallest lion first, huh?_ Keith thought.

Keith grew enraged. He positioned his Lion squarely in front of Green. Red roared defiantly. He began charging his fire blast again as the huge ship began powering up its canon. 

"Wait, Keith, no--" Lance began, but Keith barely heard him over his Lion's roars and his own blood in his ears. 

He unleashed his fire at the same time that the ship blasted it's laser. Keith had underestimated the strength of it. Their blasts collided, and Keith forced his Lion to fire with all the strength she had. 

But it wasn't enough. His Lion was fast, and a battle of strength was not their best ability. The battleship's laser pushed past the Red Lion's fire. Keith gave a small breath of relief as it missed his Lion. 

But his stomach dropped as he heard Pidge scream in fear and pain. 

"Keith!" she cried. And her coms grew fuzzed and then cut out as the blast hit her Lion in the head. Green whimpered, and then was silent.

"Pidge!" Keith yelled. _No, no, not Pidge, please, please, no..._

"Oh, no, Pidge!" Hunk cried.

"Allura!" Lance yelled. "We have to pull back, we can't do this without Shiro!" 

"I'm opening a wormhole now. Paladins, come back to the castle," she said grimly. 

"Hunk, push Green while Lance and I give you cover," Keith ordered.

Their Lions roared as they went into overdrive to fight off as many of the forces that they could. Hunk flew as fast as his bulky Lion could while pushing Green. 

Pidge was still silent.

Keith took another jarring hit, but grit his teeth against the pain. 

He could hear Lance groaning as he took the barrage as well. Lance yelled in anger, and let forth a wide blast of ice, incapacitating several drones. Keith quickly shot his fire on them, causing them to explode. 

"Alright, Pidge is in the castle!" Hunk said. 

"Lance, hurry up and fall back," Keith said. 

"Copy."

They rushed backwards, speeding through a tiny gap in the shield. As the bay doors closed behind Keith's Lion, he felt dread.

 _Please be okay, Pidge._

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry fam, I had to. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. Small Adjustments, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith feels guilty for letting his team fail. Allura tries a new tactic, but they don't realize the true foe Team Voltron is up against.
> 
> Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not writing this from any personal experiences, so please let me know if there are any issues with this!
> 
> Another bit of blood mentions again.

As the castle flew through the wormhole, Keith was having trouble breathing. 

_I let Pidge get hurt._

His hands shook as he tried to pull his helmet off. His right hand grazed his face, and he flinched. His hands were purple, and this time had claws extended.

"It's getting worse?" he gasped aloud. 

"Keith, what's wrong?" Lance asked. 

His coms were still on. He quickly flicked them off with a clawed, Galra hand. 

_I'm a monster that let Pidge get hurt._

An image of Shiro's Galra arm, powered up and glowing, appeared in Keith's mind. 

_Shiro didn't let being part Galra stop him from being a leader. It's my responsibility to go see if Pidge is okay._

He focused on the piece of song from his dream. _She doesn't need to see the monster that just hurt her..._

He regained his control, and sprinted out of his Lion into the hangar. 

\---


	10. Small Adjustments, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not feeling too well right now, so if there are a lot of typos, I'm sorry! I'll edit it again when I'm not sick. Thanks for reading, as always!

The Green Lion was more beat up and broken than Keith has ever seen any of the Lions be. The side of the Lion's head was crumpled in, and the control console within it had been dislodged. Pidge had been pinned under it, and had fallen unconscious from the pain. 

Keith swallowed bile in his throat at the sight of Hunk lifting the great piece of metal off of her small body. Lance gently picked her up, carrying her out smoothly, with tears slipping down his cheeks. 

"Pidge," Allura gasped, covering her mouth in shock at the sight of her. Coran put a sympathetic arm around her shoulders.

"Coran," Lance said quietly, "will she be able to keep them?"

Her legs had been crushed. Coran carefully looked them over. "The left one, probably. The right one, unfortunately, needs to be removed before she can be placed in the crypopod."

Hunk let out a strangled sob, and placed a big hand over his face. Keith put his hand on his broad shoulder. 

Coran looked stricken at the sight of the broken Paladins. "Don't worry, even though we may be over ten thousand years old, we have very advanced prosthetic technologies available to us. Ours are not quite so, erhm, invasive as the Galra's. She'll be able to easily remove and change hers as she grows and changes."

Shiro had explained to Keith once that he could take the Galra arm off. But he said it felt like taking off your own hand every time. He could only clean it and relax his natural muscles for a few minutes at a time before he felt compelled to put it back on. He wouldn't show Keith what it looked like, either. Shiro had said that when he asked Coran about it, Coran told him that Galra technology used a strong hormone that makes your body addicted to their artificial body parts, so that it won't be rejected or infected. Your body will crave to have the prosthetic on, always. 

It relieved Keith to know that Pidge's wouldn't be the same. 

"That said, I'll need to operate immediately," Coran added grimly. 

Keith nodded in understanding. "Hunk, would you mind baking the Princess something sweet? Lance and I can help Coran."

Hunk stepped forward, brushing a sweaty strand of Pidge's hair away from her face. Then he looked at Keith and nodded.

"C'mon, Princess," he said, "I've got a new recipes for cookies that doesn't involve making disks of space glass."

Allura sniffed, and bit her lip as she turned and walked with Hunk to the kitchens.

Keith looked to Lance as they left the hangar. Lance nodded. 

Coran had pulled over a hovering cot, and Lance gently laid Pidge onto it. She gave out a soft groan in pain, but her eyes remained closed.

Keith moved to follow Lance and Coran, but he took a step and staggered, suddenly dizzy. He collapsed down to his knees. 

Lance whirled around. "Keith, what's wrong?" 

"I'm sorry, Lance, I think it's getting worse," Keith mumbled. He wasn't going to pass out. But his vision was tinging yellow, and it was making him nauseous. His armor felt too tight for his chest, and he couldn't seem to get enough air. 

"C'mere, you. You're okay," Lance said as he bent down, offering his shoulder for Keith to grab on to. He looked at Keith's face. "What happened to your cheek? You have a cut." 

Coran glanced behind him. "Do you need some time in the pod, Keith? You look very...pale."

"I'm fine, just tired," Keith said through gritted teeth. "I don't know how I got the cut," he lied. He resisted the urge to look at his own hand.

Keith stumbled again. His vision blurred yellow, and he felt his heartbeat in his ears. _What's wrong with me?_

"Doesn't Coran already know?" Lance whispered to him, concern in his eyes. "Maybe he can help. Alteans can alter their appearances, too, remember?" 

Keith shook his head. "He needs to treat Pidge first."

Lance pursed his lips, but didn't argue. 

They made it to the healing chamber, with Coran pushing the cart with Pidge unconscious and Keith leaning heavily on Lance. 

_Please be okay Pidge..._

Keith stood wearily on his own two feet as Coran grew serious, requesting help from Lance to grab anesthetics, tools, and several odds and ends of Altean technology that would help Pidge heal properly in the pod. Coran quickly measured the length of Pidge's legs, torso, and arms, writing down the numbers with a strange unit of measurement unique to Altea. 

Coran hurriedly sketched a blueprint of a prosthetic on a screen hovering beside him. And then he got everything in place to amputate the leg. 

Keith knew he wouldn't be able to remain human much longer. His guilt was simply too great, and it was bringing his true self to the surface. He felt nausea in his stomach, and his vision continued to flash yellow. The lullaby he half-remembered wasn't helping anymore. 

"Lance, I--I can't stay anymore," he murmured. "I'm sorry." 

He turned and walked as fast as his unsteady legs would take him away, from the bright lights and the harsh smell of medicines. He tried not to think about the look on Lance's face before he left. 

\---

Safely in his room, Keith succumbed to the pressure he felt in his body. It was so sudden, he couldn't keep his feet, falling just before his bed. He groaned.

He moved a hand into his field of vision. Claws, about an inch from their base, protruded from the tips of his violet fingers, just slightly curved and sharp. 

He could feel his sensitive ears against the cool floor. The dark lighting of his room didn't hurt his eyes. 

He took a few deep breaths, and slowly climbed onto his bed. He'd focus on changing back later. He felt numb.

_I am a monster, no matter what Lance says. Shiro would never let anyone on the team get hurt._

He fell asleep on his bed without even waiting to take off his armor.

\---

Keith felt hollow when he awoke. It seemed the ache in his chest from Shiro being gone now had company--the guilt from Pidge's injuries.

As he stood slowly from bed, the flicking of his ears told him he still looked Galra. 

He willed himself to return human. It didn't happen until he nearly gave up, trying everything he could for almost an hour. Humming the tune of the lullaby aloud finally led to success. 

When his eyes finally adjusted back to normal, he sighed with relief. His hands were claw-free and pale again. Tears pricked his eyes.

He went into the bathroom to shower and clean up, slowly peeling off the armor that left him stiff and sore. Red water fell away from his face as he cleaned up the cut on his cheekbone. 

_That's going to scar,_ he noted as he examined his face in the mirror. He looked into his own indigo eyes for a long moment.

 _How am I going to be able to control it? I can't do it..._ he thought with dismay. He started breathing heavy again. He watched the whites of his eyes fade slightly yellow. 

"Fine," he growled aloud at the Universe. "You want me to be a Galra? Here!"

He willed himself to become Galra. He watched as his face darkened to the color of a bruise. He panted as he watched his teeth lengthen in his mouth. His ears slowly pointed, and fanned out a bit from his head. He could no longer see the top of his head in the mirror as he grew upward. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and seemed to thicken, just a bit. His eyes glowed yellow, with traces of dark irises still visible. 

His vision blurred as tears pooled in his eyes. _Galra can still cry, huh?_ he thought grimly. 

But he thought about Sendak, Thace, and all of the other Blades and Galra he'd seen up close. His teeth were not nearly as long. He was not even close to being as tall as Antok. His eyes retained their human shape, and didn't seem to glow as brightly. His ears were not as big, and as he curiously moved them on command, he found they didn't really move that much. He still had human hair, and though a bit thicker on his limbs, it was not so much as to be considered fur. Even the purple that seemed so dark to him was still a shade lighter than other Galra he'd seen. 

_I'm not quite Galra, just as I'm not quite human,_ he thought. It was almost comforting. But his mind added, _I'm still Galra enough to the team. They can't see me like this._

He willed himself to change back, and it was a bit easier this time. But he realized he didn't feel like himself anymore. 

_Maybe that's why it's getting harder to resist,_ he thought. _That is my true form, and I'd been wearing a mask my entire life. Maybe I won't be able to switch back and forth anymore soon._

He pushed the thought away before he could start panicking. He would have to deal with that later. Right now, Shiro trusted him to be the leader. Keith knew that he'd already failed the team once, and couldn't fail them again by letting this side of himself take over. 

_I'll deal with it when you get back, Shiro. I'll control it until then._

\---

"Paladins," Allura began softly at breakfast. She had dark circles under her eyes, and she hadn't bothered to comb her hair. The great cloud of white seemed to have a mind of its own, floating in the air. 

"It seems we cannot continue to fight off Galra forces the--"

"You mean enemy forces," Lance interrupted. Hunk and Keith were the only two also in the room, and they glanced at each other. Hunk gave Keith the barest of shrugs.

She glanced at Lance wearily. "We cannot continue to fight off _enemy_ forces the way we were able to with all five Lions. We have two options. The first is that we must go on several diplomatic missions, and try to recruit as many forces to our side as possible with the Empire in shambles. We would do this by liberating colonies, and trying to find planets that have not felt the presence of the Empire yet." She took a deep breath. "The second option would be for me to pilot the Black Lion temporarily."

The Paladins looked at her wide-eyed. "You can do that?" Hunk asked. 

She nodded. "The Black Lion would not bond with me, as it had with Shiro. I think it would listen to me, only if it was something Shiro would do himself." 

"Princess," Keith said. "What if Shiro's...quintessence is still within the Black Lion? Could piloting her cause it to be, maybe, erased?"

She looked at him, and bit her bottom lip. "My father connected my quintessence to the Lions as well. I think my presence is already known within the Black Lion. But," she said with a sigh, "you're right. This has never happened before. We have no idea where Shiro is, and if his physical body _is_ trapped within the spiritual plane between him and his Lion, me piloting the Lion could cause a shift in that plane. We don't know what that could do."

Hunk looked down, holding his hands to his chest in the way that Keith sees him do when he is scared. Lance looked thoughtful. 

"I think we should try diplomacy first, and have you pilot Black only in an emergency," Lance said, looking at Keith. 

Keith nodded. "Where do you want us to go first?"

Allura summoned the star chart to fill the control room. "The Altean sector would remember Voltron the most, and I think it would make sense to start there. I sent out our scanners to the small planet, Kuron, and they read that it is the least populated by Gal--enemies. Theirs is a manufacturing planet, where several of the Empire's drone ships are assembled. Freeing them from enemy hands would be a great asset to us." 

She looked to her small group of Paladins. Keith knew they must look pathetic. A part-Galran leader, a show-off, and a mechanic, missing two of their teammates. Their chances at successful diplomacy seemed to dwindle. 

"Keith and Lance, I'll need you two to scout the planet out. I need you to get there first, waiting on the small moon that orbits Kuron, and find all of the factories on the planet. Hunk, Coran requests that you stay here to help him build Pidge's new leg. I will stay here, and monitor the Black Lion."

 _And Shiro,_ Keith added silently. "You can count on us, Princess. We won't fail you." _Again._

\---


	11. Start Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith receives comfort before he and Lance investigate the planet Kuron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I'm still sick. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Edit: I wrote this waaayyyy before the kuron stuff, so I'm sorry for the confusion!!

"Coran!" Keith called out after him.

Coran was grabbing a snack in the kitchens when Keith finally found him. After finishing up the blueprints for Pidge's prosthetic, he gave the task to Hunk to complete. He and Slav had been working on repairing the Green Lion in the meantime. This meant Coran was nearly impossible to track down as he moved all around the castle for parts and equipment. 

Coran turned to Keith, holding food goo packs and drink pouches. "Yes, Number 4?"

"Can I ask you a quick question?"

"You sure can! Alright then, I'll see you later!"

"No, no, I mean, can I ask you two questions I guess?"

"Alright, if you say so! Bye, now!" Coran laughed. Keith frowned. "Alright, alright, I can see something is bothering you, Number 4. What's the matter?"

"Can the Galra change their appearances like Alteans can?" Keith blurted. He felt embarrassed, like asking a school nurse about personal problems because your parents wouldn't tell you. 

"Well, some can, in a sense. Because, in fact, some Galra have ancient Altean blood. As I've said before, Alteans and Galras were powerful allies. There was a mixing of cultures, among other things." Coran looked at him meaningfully. "A few centuries before my own time, the species began to grow too different to reproduce any longer. The Galra seemed to be distancing themselves from their homeland, and thus our own kind as well. So, what I'm trying to say is yes, some can alter their appearances, but it is a rare trait, and highly prized among their kind."

"So," Keith said slowly, "is there a limit to their abilities?"

"Not as much as you might think, actually!" Coran answered brightly. "Watch this." He closed his eyes, and grew taller as his skin darkened to a red-orange, darker than his hair. He opened his eyes, and they were a bright green. "Now, I can do this for possibly a few quintents in a row. Powerful Alteans like the Princess can keep it up for much longer, possibly several spicolian movements!" He paused for dramatic effect, raising a finger. "But Galra with ancient Altean blood can change their appearances for decathebes!"

"Really?" Keith asked. "Coran, do you think my Galra relative could've had Altean blood?" 

"I've thought about it a bit, but I honestly don't know, Number 4," Coran said while changing back to his normal height and color. "The way you reacted to the Blade wound seemed to indicate there's more too you than that awful hair."

Keith frowned slightly, wondering why everyone picked on his hair. "Coran, can you tell me what this means?" Keith asked quickly, before he could change his mind. He bit his lip, looked around to make sure no one else was in the kitchen, and then made himself lose his human form. 

"Have you been practicing?" Coran asked, his expression carefully guarded as he watched Keith become Galra.

Keith nodded slowly. "It's--it's getting harder to change back," he admitted. The lights were hurting his eyes. The smell of the cookies that Hunk had baked earlier was even stronger now. 

Coran sighed and set down the snacks he'd been holding. "Keith, I don't think you need to be ashamed of this. It may be getting harder to change back because you've been keeping up appearances for so long, no pun intended. I'm not sure which version of you is the easier one. The Blade must've awoken this other side of you that you've been keeping buried for so long. Perhaps it was the right time." 

Coran scooped Keith up into a hug. 

Keith could only gasp with surprise, and carefully wrap his arms around Coran. 

"The Empire betrayed us, all those years ago. And now you and the other Paladins are our new hope for peace. Where you came from doesn't change that. Alright, Number 4?" 

Coran stepped back from the hug, and then eyed Keith. "Well, now that you're taller, I'll need to give you a new number. Are you taller than Number 2?"

"I don't know," Keith said, smiling. "I'm okay with Number 4 though." He closed his eyes, and tried to turn human again, but failed. He sighed. "Coran, do you have any tricks that help you change back?"

"Hm," Coran said, hand on his mustache. "I wonder if you could be trying too hard. Your human body seems very, well, human. And though your Galra self isn't quite like other Galra, it still seems more...defined. Try simply relaxing, and think about what your true self looks like!"

 _My true self?_ Was the Galra he kept changing into not his true form?

He took a deep breath, and relaxed every muscle in his body. He rolled his shoulders, and tried not to think about guiding his body into one shape or another. Coran began smiling widely at him. 

"How does that feel? You look a bit more in the middle now, if I say so myself!"

Keith looked down at himself. He was the shorter height he was used to being as a human. His skin was much lighter, but was still a slight lilac shade. His teeth were only a little sharp, and his vision was only slightly yellowed. He reached a hand up to feel his ears, and they seemed smaller as well. His nails were only a little pointed, and the hair on his arms only a touch thicker than normal.

"Is this..." Keith tried to say, but couldn't quite make a sentence.

"Your true self? I think so. You may shift between the two depending on your mood, but that's normal for a young Galra with your ability. Though they tend to shift between Altean and Galran characteristics, but that's beside the point," Coran said. "Your human side is still part of you, even if it is a bit different from what you look like now." 

Keith smiled up at Coran, feeling a weight lift off of him that he didn't know he was carrying. "Thank you, Coran! I think I'm not going to hide it anymore."

"No trouble at all, Number 4! Now, if you don't mind, I really need to bring Slav his lunch before he complains about starving in this reality!"

Keith smiled as he waved goodbye to Coran. Now to go find Lance.

\---

He made it three steps into a hallway, before he heard footsteps and scurried back into the kitchen. He panted, leaning against the wall and feeling stupid. _Just go out there,_ he told himself. He took a steadying breath, and casually walked back out of the kitchen. 

Hunk was a bit down the hallway now, and didn't notice him. Keith decided he wasn't ready for the confrontation, and moved on. 

He went to Lance's room first, assuming he was catching up on beauty sleep before their mission. But after he didn't answer Keith's knocks, he went to look somewhere else. 

Keith checked the lounges, the training room, and then the Lion hangar. Lance wasn't in any of these areas, but the Green Lion was looking a bit better. Slav nearly fell off of his ladder at the sight of Keith, but Coran kindly explained to Slav that the Red Paladin had a touch of Galra in him. 

Keith left, and finally found Lance in the healing chamber, sitting in front of Pidge in the healing pod. 

"Hey, Lance," he said after clearing his throat nervously.

Lance turned to look at him, and his eyes widened a little. "Are you okay, Keith? What's wrong?"

Lance was standing and at his side before Keith could blink. "I'm okay. I had a long talk with Coran about my heritage. We think this is my, uh, real appearance."

Lance gave him a quick hug. "I'm glad you feel brave enough to be yourself, Keith."

Keith felt his cheeks begin to redden in embarrassment. "Uh, thanks."

Lance gave him a crooked smile, and Keith started to smile back before he looked at Lance closer. He had bags under his eyes, and his hair was messy, like he hadn't showered in a bit. He was in his Earth t-shirt and Altean pajama pants. 

"Lance, are you okay?" Keith asked gently.

"Me? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Lance said quickly. He waved his hand in dismissal. "Pfft, I'm good." 

"Lance," Keith insisted. "Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Of course I--" Lance started, but broke off as he looked at Keith's expression. "No, no I haven't," he finally said quietly.

Keith bit his lip. "How's Pidge?"

"Hunk is almost done with her new leg, and she still has a few more days to heal up in the pod. But she'll be fine. I just--I wasn't able to keep her safe," Lance said. Something was wrong with his voice. 

Keith put a hand on his shoulder. "No, Lance, it's my fault. I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me. If I'd focused on protecting her instead of shooting at that blast, she'd be fine. It's not your fault."

"I just--"

"Listen to me for once, would you?" Keith interrupted. "Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. Pidge will be okay. The best thing you can do for her now is go eat something and clean up. Okay?"

Lance looked like he wanted to argue, but his eyes watered and he faltered. "She reminds me so much of my little sister back home," Lance admitted. 

"Don't worry, she'll be okay," Keith assured him. "Go clean up. If it makes you feel better, I'll stay here with her while you're gone."

Lance nodded. "Thank you, Keith. You make a good leader."

He went back to his room, leaving Keith alone with Pidge.

Keith walked over to her pod. Her right leg was bandaged carefully where it had been amputated. _She looks so small._

He put a hand on the glass. "I'm sorry, Pidge," he whispered. "I hope you'll forgive me."

Her sleeping face seemed peaceful.

\---

Allura's reaction to Keith's appearance wasn't what he expected.

"Oh, Keith," she said. "You look...different."

"Uh, thanks, Princess. I feel more comfortable this way," he answered, surprised. 

"Well, that should help you with forming Voltron. After all, remember how hard it was for Pidge before we knew she was a girl?"

Keith nodded, too confused to say anything. 

He had just arrived at the control room to go over last minute instructions before Lance and Keith were to move out for Kuron. Lance casually gave him a little thumbs up. Coran smiled.

"You're not...bothered by it?" Keith finally asked. 

Allura sighed. "I treated you poorly before. Especially after Thace and Antok sacrificed themselves in the battle with Zarkon... I'm very sorry. I hope you'll forgive me someday." 

"I've already forgiven you," Keith said honestly. "Thank you, Princess."

"Right then. We have to hurry if we're to get you to that moon safely. We're close enough now that you will not need a wormhole to get there. If you leave now, you should be able to find cover on the moon at its current position in orbit. From there, you two will send out drones with scanners that will fly down to the planet's surface. Those will be able to give us a general idea where the factories are located, along with the local population. Everything clear?" Allura said. 

"Like a Balmeran crystal, Princess," Lance said with a wink and a sly grin.

"Good," she answered. "We'll see you in a few vargas."

\---

Keith and Lance were taking Red, as she was the quickest and most agile of their Lions. They would've preferred the Green Lion's stealth, but had to make do. 

Lance stood behind him. "Is Red...happy?" he asked as they flew out of the ship. 

She was purring. Keith was getting a few flashes of emotions from her, and it did seem so. "I think so. I'm not sure why. Maybe because Pidge will be okay?"

"I don't know man, I think she might be happy you're finally being yourself," Lance said with a smile.

Red purred louder at the comment. "Oh," Keith said, oddly flustered. "Good kitty." He patted the control panel with what he hoped was a loving gesture. The purring didn't stop, so he guessed he was okay. Lance laughed. 

"Paladins, you are approaching the planet now," Allura said when they were close. "Stay behind that moon, and be careful." She seemed to plead it instead of order them. Keith wondered if she was taking care of herself.

He glanced at Lance, who was still a bit ragged. _Those two should hang out and relax together,_ he thought idly. 

"We will, Princess," Lance said. The coms were quiet again.

Keith directed the Red Lion down, where she softly landed on the small moon.

"Okay, Lance, let's go drop down the first drone," Keith said.

They floated down out of Red's open mouth. They peered at the planet just over the horizon of the moon. Lance activated the little drone, and tossed it into the air. The drone disappeared for a long moment, riding around the gravity of the moon, before flying over their heads and down onto Kuron below. 

"Let's go wait inside for the next hour," Keith suggested. 

The plan was to wait an hour between the three drones, so that each landed on a different section of the planet. Then they would leave, and Team Voltron would return later. It was simple, if even a bit tedious. Keith was impatient to apologize to Pidge in person.

There was nothing to do but wait. They didn't have anything to distract themselves with, and very soon Keith was bored. 

"Did I mention changing colors makes me hungry?" Keith asked idly. "I just think that's really weird." 

"I mean, the changing colors thing is weird already, but what really gets you is being hungry afterward?" Lance laughed. "You're weird, Keith."

"Well, never mind then," Keith said, done trying to start a conversation. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just messing with you," Lance said.

Keith almost accepted his apology, but then narrowed his eyes. "Wait, did you just say 'sorry' to _me?_ "

"Uh, yeah, why?" 

Keith shook his head. "It just surprised me, that's all. Sometimes it seems like--you know, that whole rivalry thing you like to bring up--"

"What? Do you think I hate you?"

"No, especially not now, after how much you've helped me lately. I just mean, it's all been a bit of a surprise to me," Keith said. 

Lance looked at him in the eyes. "Yeah, I was a bit of a jerk before. But after you got so hurt during that Trial, and now that Shiro is gone, and Pidge is hurt...I just won't know when an insult could be the last thing I say to you, you know? Everything seems pretty...fragile. Like I have no control over it."

Keith looked at Lance, _really_ looked at him. He still looked rough. But not only on the outside, his eyes even seemed to have lost their glint. He just looked so tired. 

"Lance, I'm sorry. Don't worry, we'll figure everything out. Pidge is okay. Shiro will come back, I know he will. And the Trial helped me realize who I'm supposed to be." Keith put a hand on Lance's shoulder, and hoped he was comforting him. 

A few tears filled Lance's eyes, and Keith took his arm off of him like he was a hot stove. "I'm sorry, I thought I was helping--" Keith said in alarm. 

But instead of getting angry or yelling, Lance laughed, his tears sparkling. 

Then he put his arms around Keith. The way they were sitting, side by side on the floor of the Red Lion, put them very close to each other. Keith wondered if the purple tones of his skin would hide his blushing. "I'm really confused," he admitted. 

Lance pulled back from him. "I miss a lot of things, Keith. I miss Earth, my family, Shiro, even the Garrison. There's an emptiness in my chest. And sometimes it feels like you fill up that emptiness perfectly, even if you are really awkward."

"I--you're welcome?"

"Whew," Lance exhaled, standing up. "I need some air. Metaphorically, of course, since there's no atmosphere outside. But I'm gonna go walk around for a bit." 

"Okay, don't wander too far," Keith cautioned.

"Wow, look who's being careful for once," Lance said. "Don't worry, I've got some impulse control, unlike _some_ Red Paladins I know." 

Keith pouted and looked away as Lance left. _I've gotten a bit better, right?_ he wondered. _Probably not,_ he admitted to himself. 

He relaxed, and now that Lance wasn't here, he climbed back up into his Pilot's chair. He hadn't wanted to be rude to Lance earlier, since the Lions didn't come with guest seating. He laid back and sighed, finally able to breathe a bit easier, now that he figured out how to control his body. 

Red suddenly jerked her mouth open, tossing Keith off of the Pilot's seat. "Red? What was that?" he demanded from the floor. 

"Keith, c'mon, we've gotta get out of here! A ship came from our side of the moon, they've seen us," Lance yelled. 

Keith quickly hopped back into his chair. He turned on his coms as he looked out his window. It was a great battleship, even larger than the one from Lorkux's fleet. There's no way they could take them on alone.

"Allura, there's a ship, and they've seen us. We won't be able to take them alone," he reported quickly. 

But his coms didn't connect to the castle's channel. Instead, a feed from the enemy ship appeared on his screen. Keith gasped. A slim Galra was at the helm, with a helmet obscuring their face, and Keith didn't need to be in the room to feel their air of command and grace. This was no common enemy.

"Let us pass," Keith growled as menacingly as possible. He bared his teeth, a reflex he didn't know he was capable of. 

The leader chuckled. It was a delighted sound. "Is that any way to speak to your Prince, youngling?" the voice asked in a velvet voice. 

Keith's stomach clenched. 

The Galra chuckled again. "Oh yes, I like the pair of you. You, so Galra and fierce for a youngling, and your friend, who has the look of a boy willing to die fighting for his family. You very well could be a pair worth my time. I will let you go, but on one condition." He held up a long, poised finger. "You must become strong enough to fight me." 

"We're already strong enough, your royal _jerkness_ ," Lance sneered, bristling at the leader's mocking tone.

The Prince laughed again, an eerie sound. "You must not know who I am. Pity, for I usually have a much better introduction planned for such occasions. In any case, I heard you mention your Princess Allura earlier, and I'm sure she can introduce us later." His smooth voice seemed to tighten a bit around her name. "Tell her that Prince Lotor let you live for me, will you? Now, leave before I change my mind!" 

Keith snarled, and pushed his Lion to speed past the ship. She roared as they passed it, and Prince Lotor laughed once more before the feed cut out. 

Allura's voice broke in, distressed. "Paladins? Paladins! Are you alright?" 

"Yes, Allura, we're fine. But you're not going to like what we have to tell you," Keith said slowly. He flashed back to Allura's tears when he'd confronted her about his own Galra heritage. She'd cried about a man named Lotor that had betrayed her. 

"Princess, who is Prince Lotor?" Lance asked. 

She gasped. "Lotor? He's still _alive?_ " she cried. 

"I'm sorry, Princess. He surprised us. He told us to tell you that he let us live. He wants us to become stronger," Keith said.

"Quiznak!" she swore. Keith and Lance both jumped at the venom in her voice. "I'll tell you more when you get back to the castle. But as I'm sure you're already aware, Lotor is even worse than his father, Zarkon."

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comfort can come from anywhere, and I like to think that Space Uncle loves all the Paladins dearly!
> 
> Some more notes about Keith's "final form":  
> I think the height would have taken the most energy to hide, and so his shortness is his actual size!  
> This is based off of some fanart I saw a long time ago, and if I ever find it again, I'll post a link!
> 
> Also, I just saw the teaser trailers for season 3 as I was typing this, and can't believe I lined up my Lotor entrance to it!


	12. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has grown numb, living each day until the next. What's another enemy on top of grief?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a touch of cuteness in this chapter!

_Shiro, you left at a good time,_ Keith projects his thoughts into whatever void Shiro was still stuck in. 

Is it possible to grieve someone you know is still alive? Keith doesn't know, and at this point he thinks he might be at some point on the other side of grief. He didn't remember "numbness" being one of the five stages. 

"Just get home," he muttered aloud. He couldn't tell if he was talking to his Lion or himself.

"What?" Lance asked.

They were almost to the castle. Allura had piloted the ship toward them to meet them halfway, just in case Lotor's mercy happened to vanish. Lance was leaning on an elbow propped up on Keith's seat. One of his hands was on his mouth, and Keith guessed he was still thinking about the Prince. 

"Nothing," Keith said. He sighed upward, blowing a stray hair out of his eyes. _It's getting longer,_ he noted idly. 

Keith realized he'd been leaning forward into the steering console, tense. He was reminded of his hoverbike on Earth, and how he had liked to sit as far forward as he could, to feel like he was flying in the desert. 

Keith leaned back. 

He felt something angry and defiant boiling in his stomach. 

Lotor had treated them like playthings, and toyed with them. He hadn't even attacked, and was baiting him and Lance to fight him later. What was the point of that? Strategically, it made no sense. If Lotor had fought them there, one Lion all alone, they would've been defeated easily. Why did the Prince want to wait?

Keith ground his teeth without thinking. 

Lance sighed behind him, the wind of it blowing the loose strand of hair back into Keith's eyes.

"I'm not too fond of this Prince Loser guy," Lance commented. 

"I'm not either," Keith snapped. He was holding the controls very tightly in his hands. 

"Why do you think he let us go?" 

"I don't know, Lance," Keith growled. "I'd really rather not talk about it."

"That's not a very good way to solve the problem," Lance complained. 

Keith rounded on him, fixing his gaze on Lance's. Lance met his gaze and raised an eyebrow. Keith was going to tell Lance to be quiet, but at that response, Keith just sighed, knowing Lance wasn't wrong. 

He turned back around. 

"You're right," Keith said, deflated. He looked at the unfamiliar constellations in the windows. 

"I think he's toying with us, and I don't think I'm willing to play his game," Lance said.

"Me, too, Lance," Keith agreed. "We won't. Allura knows this guy. I think she'll be able to outsmart him."

"How does Allura know him? Was he Prince ten thousand years ago?"

"Yeah," Keith said. "She partially told me. Lotor was her best friend. She, well, she said she loved him, but he betrayed her by lying about Altea being attacked by Zarkon."

Lance sighed heavily, a bit upset by the news. "I mean, I guessed he was a jerk, but to lie to someone about their entire _planet_ being destroyed? I can't imagine anything that cruel."

They were nearing the castle. Allura had remained silent after her last transmission, and Keith wondered how she was handling the news that Lotor was still out in the Universe, probably hurting millions of lives. 

They went in the Red Lion's hangar. Red lowered them down, and Keith gave her a small pat on her mechanical nose. 

He tugged his helmet off and followed Lance to the control room.

\---

Allura was pacing, and not at all subdued. 

She was rambling, throwing her arms up every few seconds in dramatic, angry gestures to a very patient Coran. "Coran, how are they remaining alive all of these years? I mean, remember Halifox? He was their Elder, and he was only a thousand years old! What do--" 

She rounded on Keith and Lance as they stepped into the room, hardly braking her stride. 

"Paladins! We must stop Lotor immediately," she instructed. 

"How would we go about that, Princess?" Keith asked. "We weren't able to get all of the drones onto Kuron's surface. We don't have any good ways of gaining allies to our cause."

"I will pilot the Black Lion. We will take him on as Voltron, and destroy him like Zarkon," Allura declared.

Lance eased forward. "Princess, I don't think that's a good idea," he started. "We--"

She cut him off before he could get the sentence out. "It's the only option we have," she said.

"No, Princess, it's not," Keith said, his voice coming out tired and hollow. "Listen to Lance."

She sighed, and nodded for Lance to speak. 

"We need to gain allies. But I have a feeling this Lotor guy is trying to do the same thing. We noticed he only had one ship in his fleet. As a Prince, it seems like he should have a stronger force." Lance paused, looking to Keith for reassurance. He nodded. "We need to get more help, and faster. We can't rush at him with everything we have now, or we're going to lose it all."

She bit her lip in thought. Then she threw her hands up in the air, and exaggerated move that Keith wouldn't have come from the uptight Princess. "Fine! Fine. While we play diplomatic games, Lotor will cheat and lie his way to an army that will slay us all."

Coran placed a hand on her shoulder, and stilled her pacing for a moment. "Princess, Lance is right. You've taught these Paladins to think critically. I know we've gone through some hardship in the last year--you especially, Princess. But we need to be smart about our next move. We're vulnerable. The ship still needs repairs, and you still are limited in your ability to make wormholes."

She looked at the floor. 

"Right now, we have time to prepare," Keith said. "We can still gain allies."

Allura sighed. "Paladins, go get some rest. I'm going to figure out a plan." She looked at them. "Trust me to not be rash, alright?" 

They nodded. Coran gave them a cheery wave that seemed a bit tight around the smile. 

\---

"How long do you think we've been in space?" Lance asked Keith on their way to the kitchens.

"I have no idea," Keith said quietly. "Why do you ask?"

Lance had that odd expression on his face. Keith still just thought of it as a Lance expression, as he still couldn't come up with a better name for it. "I miss Earth," Lance said evenly. 

Keith thought about blowing the strand of hair out of his eyes. He pulled the strand down in front of him, eyeing how long it was. "I guess it's only been a few months," he said thoughtfully. 

"Only," Lance muttered. "How quickly do you think the Garrison gave up looking for us? Do you think they told our families? Or do you think they figured we were going home?" 

"I don't know, Lance," Keith said, not liking where this conversation was going. 

"My little sister probably hates me," he said. He wasn't crying. He seemed to be saying something he'd already cried for.

"Lance," Keith said sharply, stopping them both in the hallway. They were close enough they could smell food, but Keith looked at Lance. He looked at how shaggy his hair was getting too, and how his eyes seemed to sparkle less and less. "Stop it. I'm no good at comfort, but right now, we need to rest up and relax. There's nothing we can do right not for Earth other than stop the Empire from reaching it."

"Assuming they haven't already," Lance muttered under his breath. 

Keith ground his teeth again, pricking his lip this time on a sharp tooth. He felt his lip get hot as the taste of blood filled his mouth. He swallowed down both the taste and his retort to Lance. He didn't want to keep fighting. 

He sighed and kept walking, and after a heartbeat, Lance followed too.

Hunk was in the kitchen, tinkering with something at the table. Hunk glanced up at them, and jumped all the way out of his chair when he saw Keith. 

"GAL-- _ahem_ , guys, I mean hey guys!" Hunk said. The he leaned toward Lance and held a hand over his lips, whispering loud enough for Keith to hear, "Hey, Lance, did you take a look at Keith lately?"

Lance laughed so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes. "Hunk, he's purple! Isn't it great?"

"I thought he looked pretty purple," Hunk agreed. 

"This is probably what I'm supposed to be," Keith explained, gesturing vaguely. 

"Could be Galra-ier," Hunk commented lightly. 

But Keith couldn't help smiling just a little and shrugging. He was thankful that Hunk seemed to take it in stride. "Is that..." he tried to ask, pointing at the gleaming metal on the kitchen table. 

"Pidge's new leg? Yep, it sure is," Hunk said proudly. 

He held it up gracefully in his large hands. It was still unfinished, with an exposed control panel on one side that was shining green. But the white metal that made up the rest of the prosthetic seemed similar to the material the Paladin armor was made of. It had a very smooth design. It would go up to the middle of her thigh. 

"That's so cool, Hunk!" Lance yelled.

"Pidge will love it," Keith said. It was a technological advance that Earth was still working on. 

"That's all I'm hoping for," Hunk said. "Though she'll probably tweak it herself once she wakes up."

"How much longer is she going to be in there?" Lance asked.

"Coran says she should be out by tomorrow."

Keith felt relieved and nervous at the news. He was ready to apologize to her. But he didn't know if he would be able to handle it if she refused his apology. 

Keith let Lance and Hunk discuss the features of the prosthetic and their hopes for Pidge's approval. He grabbed one of the solidified food goo bars that the castle had stocked in a cabinet. He wasn't hungry enough for a whole meal.

He caught a glint of his reflection in the metal lining of the door to the cabinet as he closed it. He jumped slightly before he rationalized what he was seeing. It was just strange to see the slightly alien features, but feel so comfortable. 

_I already feel used to this,_ he thought. _I'm more at ease like this than I feel I have been my whole life._

He hoped Shiro would understand him. 

"Keith?" Lance asked, in a tone that sounded annoyed, like he'd said his name more than once. 

Keith realized he'd been staring at the cabinet for a few minutes. "Yeah?" he jerked around. 

"We just asked if you wanted to watch a movie," Hunk said with a smile. 

"A movie?" Keith repeated, confused.

"Remember how Pidge was listening to aliens before we knew anything?" Hunk asked, animatedly. 

"Dude, that was at the Garrison," Lance said, elbowing Hunk. 

"Oh! Wow, we've spent a lot of time together. Well! Pidge made this device that could hone in on Galra communications before we knew anything about them, and so I've been playing around with it while she's been healing--will she be mad at me?--but, anyway, I've amplified it with the castle's long-range signals, and we can stream television from Earth!"

Keith nodded along as Hunk explained. "Wow, that's actually really awesome, Hunk. How can we pick a movie?" 

"I have no idea!" Hunk said brightly. 

"Let's go figure it out!" Lance said. Lance grabbed Keith's free hand, and towed him along behind them. 

They ran excitedly through the halls like little kids up to something. They found one of the lounges, and got comfortable. Hunk pulled up the big screen, and began playing with the device. For a while there was only harsh static, but then familiar human voices began trickling through. 

Finally, clear as a bell, a show in Spanish was on the screen. 

Lance hopped off the couch, making a delighted noise of happiness. 

Hunk grinned. "Like this one, Lance?"

"Yes! It's, like, one of my favorites!" he said. 

Keith watched, utterly confused. He didn't know a lick of Spanish. Hunk gave him a shrug, both of them in silent agreement that Lance needed this the most. 

Lance was laughing so hard he was crying. He would try to fill Keith and Hunk in. 

"Okay, so, like, it's hard to explain, but--" and then he would burst out laughing again. They just nodded along. 

Keith leaned against the back of the couch and sighed. Even though he was having fun with Hunk and Lance, he felt like he was putting off his real responsibilities. He should be training, he should think of a better apology to Pidge, he should try to talk with the Black Lion to find Shiro...

He started to feel like he would have a panic attack if he let his mind run any farther. He slowly breathed, in and out. He either felt anxious, or numb. It seemed like there was nothing else. 

The noises of the Spanish drama and Hunk and Lance slowly faded into a blur, and Keith began to fall asleep on the couch. 

He dreamed of a few scattered pictures and flashes, with an odd accompaniment of Spanish voices. He felt the close presence of another person. And then he heard a voice. 

"Keith."

He searched for it. The colors shifted to purples and blacks, like a dark kaleidoscope. He could walk, but it didn't seem like he was moving anywhere. How would he find the voice?

"Keith," it said it again. 

"Shiro?" Keith called. "Is that you? Are you there?"

"Keith!" 

It _was_ Shiro. "Where are you?" Keith asked. 

"I'm okay, I need help, my Lion--" his voice broke off. 

"Shiro!" 

A silhouette appeared in the distance. Keith moved toward it, and it seemed to be getting a little clearer. It had broad shoulders, and seemed as tall as Shiro. 

_Please, let me see Shiro,_ he begged. "Shiro?" he called. 

The figure turned around. He was in a dark bodysuit, and a loose tattered shirt hung over his shoulders. The flash of white hair stood out in the blackness. 

"Shiro," Keith breathed, happy to see even the shape of him. 

The figure opened its eyes, and they were a startling, solid, unwavering yellow. "Help me, Keith."

\---

"Shiro!" Keith screamed, lurching forward into wakefulness. His heart beat wildly. 

Lance and Hunk froze next to him on the couch, looking at him with concerned sympathy. 

"I'm sorry," Keith mumbled, trying to control his breathing. 

"We didn't know you were having a nightmare," Lance said softly. 

"You looked so peaceful," Hunk added teasingly, "sleeping on Lance's shoulder."

"I--oh, I'm sorry," Keith said hurriedly. 

"Don't worry about it, you were out," Lance said, brushing it off. 

The lights were dim, but it seemed like Lance's face was a bit more flushed than usual. Probably from laughing at the Spanish drama, Keith figured. 

"No, really though, you okay, Keith?" Hunk asked. 

"Yeah, I think I need to go try something," Keith said, standing. "Thanks for hooking up to Earth's television, Hunk, this was really fun." 

And he left the room. 

He turned his feet to the main hangar. He felt numb. He needed to try to talk to the Black Lion. 

\---


	13. Metallic, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has to communicate with the Black Lion. 
> 
> Pidge finally recovers from the battle. Physically, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

Keith stood in the Black Lion hangar, regarding her calmly. 

The Lion was motionless, and silent. Her eyes were dim, with only a gentle yellow glowing. 

"Can you let me in?" Keith asked. His voice felt small and insubstantial in the large room. 

She remained still. 

"I'm not going to command you, " he said, growing frustrated. He was reminded of the stubbornness of his own Lion when they first met. 

"The last time that Shiro needed me, you opened up right away. Well, he needs me now, too. Or at least I think he does," he tried. 

The Black Lion's eyes might've shined a little brighter.

"Argh!" He yelled in frustration. "Let me help him, you've held onto him long enough!" 

She seemed expectant. 

"Is it...is it because I'm Galra?" he realized. A hand unconsciously wandered up to touch one of his pointed ears.

The Lion seemed to glare at him. 

"Well, fine, then what is your problem!" he demanded. 

His vision flashed yellow, and then suddenly black. He tasted something metallic at the back of his throat. He simultaneously felt a sensation of falling, but not being able to move. 

He saw a vision of Zarkon. The Emperor was young and strong, smiling in Black Paladin armor. He was waving kindly to a mixture of Altean and Galra citizens under a clear, lavender colored sky. 

Then the scene changed, and he felt, rather than saw, a great loss. The Black Lion had lost her Paladin, and it was through a great betrayal. He saw King Alfor looking at her sadly. 

He felt the Lion's perspective as the years went by in darkness. No guide, no purpose, no power--and yet not unaware of time passing, 

Keith felt himself tremble, like he was witnessing his greatest fear. 

But throughout it all, there was still a tiny pull, a tug by a mind a million galaxies away. Zarkon's quintessence was still vaguely present, still keeping the Lion in touch. 

A picture of Shiro flashed, quick as a blink. 

He saw a purple light, and was witnessing the battle against Zarkon. He felt the Lion shudder as the final blow was struck. 

As Zarkon fell, the Lion had felt a tug into blackness as well. The same darkness that all the other Lions had fallen into when their Paladins had been vanquished. 

Fear flashed through the Lion. Fear for her new Paladin. 

She pulled his quintessence completely into herself, stopping herself from following Zarkon into blackness. Shiro had understood her, and had not resisted. 

Shiro's face, pale and scared, was the last thing Keith saw. 

He fell forward, stumbling, coughing like he'd been holding his breath for too long. His claws dug into the metal floor. His arms trembled. 

"Shiro," he gasped.

The Black Lion gazed down at him sadly. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this getting too long for one fic? Should I continue on in another fic and make it a series? Please let me know what you guys think!


	14. Metallic, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Metallic

Keith was out of breath from sprinting through the castle. "Allura," he said.

She whirled around at his distressed tone. She was in the control room, still formulating their new plans with Coran and Slav. She had a screen pulled up, and Keith wished he could read Altean. 

"What is it, Keith?" 

"I...I know where Shiro is. But I don't know how we can help him." He met her gaze, but his voice wavered a little. 

Allura gasped. Coran leaped up from his seat. Even Slav seemed to be startled by the news, wriggling his sets of arms nervously.

"What do you know?" Allura asked. 

"The Black Lion showed me a sort of vision. I saw some things from her point-of-view, like...Zarkon as her Paladin, her sitting in the castle alone for thousands of years--" he tried not to shudder, remembering the fear, "--and also, what happened when Zarkon fell after the battle." He took a steadying breath. "Their quintessences were still linked. The Black Lion was afraid of following Zarkon into darkness, and to stop that, she pulled...she took in Shiro's entire quintessence into herself. And he knew what she wanted, and hadn't stopped her."

Allura cupped a hand to her mouth. She seemed so small suddenly, her usually rigid shoulders caving in on herself. "I trust you, Keith," she said quietly. She looked up to him. "What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know," Keith admitted. "I don't really get much about this quintessence stuff. I just feel like Shiro needs our help, though. I had--" he broke off, not sure how to tell him about his nightmare. 

"Keith had a nightmare about Shiro," Lance's voice chirped from the door behind them. 

Keith turned around to see Lance and Hunk walking into the control room. "Lance, Hunk," he said, relieved to see them now. 

Hunk gave him a warm smile. 

"How much of that did you guys hear?" Keith asked. 

"Only that tail end. That Shiro needs our help. It's about that nightmare you had, isn't it?" Lance said. 

Keith nodded. "I communicated with the Black Lion," he said, and filled them in on the other details.

"So he's stuck in this astral plane and we have to somehow get him out of it? How on Earth are we supposed to do that?" Hunk said when he'd finished. 

"Allura, you have an ability to manipulate quintessence, don't you?" Lance asked. He looked so serious and sure, Keith was taken aback. 

It seemed Allura was too. She looked at her hand. "I--I suppose so. When I battled Haggar, I manipulated all of that tampered quintessence that the witch had relied on. What did you have in mind?" she asked him dubiously. 

For some reason it irritated Keith a bit that she had listened to his own suggestions readily, but still seemed to doubt Lance's abilities. Keith knew Lance was smarter than he looked, even if he didn't tell him out loud to avoid inflating his ego. 

But Lance continued, still serious. "I think you need to strengthen your connection to the Black Lion, and push your quintessence into this void, filling it so Shiro can find his way back out. Since you can manipulate your own, you should be able to avoid being pulled in yourself."

Allura seemed surprised, and Keith wasn't sure if it was at Lance or herself. 

"Before we attempt that, this still seems a bit new to you, Princess," Coran interjected. "Perhaps it would be best for you to practice a bit first?"

Allura looked frustrated. "That would probably be safer. Can Shiro wait that long?" she asked Keith. 

Keith hesitated. "I don't know for sure, Princess. I think sooner would be better."

She nodded. "If you all need me, I'll be in the training room." She addressed Coran and Slav. "Continue to come up with strategies. Rescuing Shiro is going to require all of my focus at the moment." 

The nodded in agreement before a small alarm began beeping. Coran pulled out his timekeeping device from his back pocket. "Just a tick, Princess. It looks like Number 5 should be about ready to come out of the healing pod!" 

"Pidge!" Lance cried excitedly. 

"Alright, let's go meet her. And then we'll work on getting Shiro back," Allura said.

\---

Pidge's sleeping face still seemed so peaceful to Keith. He was worried about the expressions she would make when she awoke. 

Lance was pacing back and forth, or hopping to look at the glass closer, unable to sit still. Hunk was cradling the new leg he'd built like a child. Coran was complementing the prosthetic, and Hunk beamed proudly. Allura stared with concentration at the pod. 

With a slow hiss and small clouds drifting out, the door opened.

Pidge groaned as she fell from the pod. Lance was ready, and caught her in his long arms. He held her bridal style, making her look even smaller. 

She rubbed a hand across her face. "Where are my glasses?" she mumbled. 

Hunk winced, "They broke in that last fight..."

"Matt's gonna be so mad," she muttered. "They were his spare pair." 

"Don't worry about that right now," Keith said. "How are you feeling?"

She paused, and blinked a few times, looking up at the ceiling. She jerked forward in Lance's arms, abruptly looking carefully at her amputated leg. "I'm feeling like I'm missing some of my leg," she said calmly. 

"That's 'cause you are," Lance said with a crooked smile. 

"Lance!" Allura snapped.

"But speaking of spare pairs of things, Hunk has a surprise for you," he continued without pause, winking at Allura, causing her to glare at him fully. 

But they all turned to Hunk as he held out the shining metallic leg. Pidge regarded it coolly, and Keith felt deeply worried that she wasn't her usual animated self. 

"He's done a fantastic job of it, Number 5, it should fit like a glove," Coran added.

She reached a small hand out to touch the side of it. "Hunk, this is..." she trailed off, eyes wide in amazement. She looked up at him. "This is awesome. Thank you." 

"Ah, don't mention it, Pidge, I just hope it helps you feel better," Hunk said, waving his other hand graciously. His eyes were watering. 

"Lance, can you help me stand up?" she asked. 

Lance helped her onto her remaining leg, and held the rest of her body weight on his shoulder, bending over. She picked up the prosthetic. 

"Tell me about it over some food goo?" she asked Hunk. 

He nodded, and then pulled her into a crushing hug and began sobbing. Pidge began to cry silently, burying her face into his chest. This popped the tension in the room like a balloon, and tears began falling down all of their faces. Tears of relief and sadness. Keith felt his vision blurring a stronger yellow and tried to blink away the tears.

But then Pidge turned to look at him. He felt a flash of fear in his gut as he realized she hadn't seen him this way yet. It seemed like so long ago that he'd learned how to control it, it was easy to forget about it now. But at that moment he felt himself instinctively trying to appear more human, and he fought it down. Allura put a comforting hand on his shoulder, which took him by surprise.

"Oh," she said, surprise flashing across her face as she took in his features, and then Allura standing with him. Then she glared at Lance. "Oh man! I lost the bet!" she cried, frustrated, angrily wiping her tears off of her face. 

Lance looked confused, and then burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! Yeah, cough it up!" 

Allura shrugged in confusion. Keith looked at Hunk for help. Hunk began laughing too, a bit nervously. "After we got back from the Balmera, we were hanging out and I'd asked them if they thought you were actually purple," he admitted sheepishly, pushing his two forefingers together and apart. "Lance said you'd turn purple and Pidge said that was dumb. They bet ten credits on it."

Keith laughed, and felt instantly relieved. "Hey Pidge, wanna know something cool?" he asked playfully. He willed himself to return completely human. "There, now you're both right." Allura and Coran laughed.

Pidge smiled with satisfaction, taking his abilities in surprisingly smoothly. "Thank you, Keith," she said smugly. 

Lance looked dramatically offended. "You're taking her side! What about all that accepting yourself stuff and junk you went through? I thought we bonded!"

Keith relaxed his form back to normal. He smiled at Lance. "No more making bets," he teasingly commanded. 

"Fine!" Lance said. And he scooped Pidge back up into his arms, much to her indignation. "Let's go eat!" 

She protested loudly at being carried, but had a smile back on her face. 

\---


	15. Growing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura instructs Coran to take the team on diplomatic missions as she tries to save Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to run to class, so I'll proofread it in a little bit, sorry about the typos! Enjoy!

"So, this Lotor guy, he's a Prince? As in Zarkon's son?" Pidge asked. 

"Yes. Zarkon had been married to a noble Altean woman. This was still long enough ago that our two species were very genetically connected. Lotor is both Galra and...Altean," Allura said. 

They were in the control room, making final preparations for the new mission. Allura and Coran had finalized the plans a few hours before. Allura would remain on the ship and practice her new abilities, and Coran would escort the Paladins to planets that appeared to have been able to stay free of Zarkon. They assumed Lotor would be gathering his forces at planets that were already in Galra hands, since that alone was a mighty force. 

Pidge was walking with a crutch on her new leg. After taking it slow for a few days and finishing the repairs on the Green Lion herself, she felt healed enough to go on a mission. 

Keith was glad she was feeling better. His mind flashed back to when he'd tried to apologize to her. 

_They had been in the Green Lion's hangar, where he had helped her walk to after dinner. Most of the damage had been repaired by Coran and Slav, with a few dings still needing attention._

_"Pidge," he'd said, "It was my fault you were hurt so badly. I shouldn't have charged that ship. I'm so sorry. Can you please forgive me?"_

_She had paused to consider, and Keith held his breath. "Well, let's see. When we were first getting to know each other, do you remember the food fight we'd had with Allura and Coran?"_

_He'd had to think about it. "Yeah?"_

_"You let me throw the first punch. Remember? You yelled, 'Go loose, Pidge!'" she'd said in an imitation of his own voice that had made him laugh._

_"Yeah, I do remember that," he'd said, smiling._

_"There was also that time you grabbed me and took the pain for falling when we were chasing Ulaz throughout the castle. Do you remember that?" she'd asked._

_"No, not at all," he'd admitted, trying to think back._

_"You protected me without even a second's hesitation," she had said to him. "I think I'll take your impulsiveness two out of three times."_

_He'd been confused. "I'm lost."_

_"I'm saying I forgive you, and that your impulsiveness is useful most of the time," she'd said with a smile._

And now, as they stood in the control room, he couldn't help but still feel relieved. Pidge leaned on her crutch, but seemed taller to him that before. She looked more mature without her brother's glasses, and her hair long enough that she had part of it tucked up into a little braid. 

They were all wearing formal attire. As they had grown used to, all of their outfits were color coordinated, though tastefully. Lance, Hunk, and Keith were in a uniform similar in cut and style to Coran, but altered a bit to fit their body shapes. Pidge had protested a long gown, in favor of a tunic with slim tights underneath, with one side hemmed artfully to accommodate the prosthetic that reached her mid-thigh. 

As it turned out, the mice were very good with sewing, and Lance had also helped, much to everyone's surprise. He'd even embroidered their initials into their back collars.

Allura was in her suit, with an intimidating spear in hand. "Lotor was crafty before the war began, and no doubt has only grown stronger over the years. So even though we are planning this carefully, remain alert. If you see his ship again, retreat immediately. We will fight him on our own terms, not his," she declared. 

The team nodded collectively. 

"I will continue practicing, and save Shiro," she said, looking at the spear she held. 

"Let us know if you need us, Princess," Keith said, meeting her eyes. She nodded. 

Since Lotor had seen them in orbit around Kuron, they had decided not to try liberating the planet until they had more allies to help. Instead, the next planet they planned to visit was called Nix, a diplomatic world shrouded in darkness. 

"Nix has remained out of the Empire because they have nothing to offer, and are formidable fighters!" Coran said cheerfully. "Their largest export is themselves as fierce mercenary warriors. They have no worthwhile resources or treasures, and so it seems the Empire has given up taking control of the Nixites. The planet's atmosphere holds the heat from their nearby star, but the gasses within it are so dark, they filter out most of the light! Quite interesting, really."

"So how are we going to be able to walk around without our space gear on?" Hunk asked, pulling at an embroidered sleeve of his yellow shirt. 

"The gasses are harmless! You'll be able to breath just fine, and the gravity is very similar to that on your home world. Quite different from mine, but Alteans adjust to gravity changes relatively easy," Coran said. "And we'll still be able to communicate and translate with those earrings I gave you," he added, pointing at the golden clip-on dangling from Hunk's ear. 

Keith thought they were annoying, but it was a lot better than going without coms or translators. He flicked at his own set of rubies. 

Coran continued to explain the social customs and graces of Nix as they sped through a wormhole. "Even though most of them are mercenaries, most of them are surprisingly light on their feet! They love to dance, and so have millions of special dances for every occasion. How you present yourself at these dances can have many implications. For example, when dancing with a partner, to accidentally step on their toe is one of the greatest insults imaginable!" 

"Do we get to dance?" Lance asked excitedly. He pantomimed holding a person in his arms and swinging them around. "A hot babe dancing with me, and being so impressed by my awesome moves that they decide to fight an evil Empire with us! I mean, how much more romantic can you get?" 

Keith rolled his eyes with Hunk. Pidge sighed, muttering something about not missing Lance in the cryopod that made Hunk giggle.

"Not quite, Lance. See, you all would be terrible at their dances. For one thing, you only have one set of arms. Also, they begin learning their dances at a very young age, and it's quite involved. I'm afraid our role is to clap along to the music, and appreciate their skill."

Lance pouted. 

"We're almost there, should only be another few ticks," Coran said. 

Keith forced himself to be calm. This would be an easy mission. The Empire has no reason to visit this planet, but if the Team had to fight, they would be more prepared this time. He kept his breathing even.

They began their descent to Nix. 

\---


	16. Plunging Head First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Paladins and Coran get settled in for their stay on Nix, but it will be a bit longer than they had intended. Allura continues to train to prepare to save Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!

Darkness fell as the ship drifted downward. A message flickered onto the large screen at the front of the hull. 

A large form stood, intimidating with rippling muscles and a sharp jaw. Their two sets of arms were bulging out of their dark leather clothing. They were so pale their skin was nearly translucent. A great spear was strapped to their back. 

"State your business on our planet Nix," the Nixite commanded. They crossed their double set of arms in unison, making Keith's mind reel for a moment as though looking at an optical allusion. 

"Hello, we are here to meet with the Chief," Coran said politely. "I sent a message to her two quintents ago, we are--"

"Two _what_?" the Nixited interrupted. 

"Ah, er, two _snippets_ ago! Sorry about that," Coran corrected hurriedly. He held a hand over his mouth, quickly whispering behind him to the Paladins, "These Nixites have such weird names for their units of time!" He turned his attention back to the angry greeter on the screen. "We are Team Voltron! I am the Altean royal adviser, Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, and these are the Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green Paladins of Voltron."

"Coran has time to spell out his entire name but can't even mention our first names?" Lance complained quietly to Keith. He smiled, but didn't respond.

"Very well," said the Nixite, "I will discuss this with my superior. Do not enter the atmosphere any further until I give you clearance, Mr. Smythe."

"Please, call me--" Coran began, but the communication feed buzzed off before he could finish. He shrugged and twirled his mustache.

The Paladins fidgeted as they took in the darkening view out the windows in silence. 

The screen flashed on after a few seconds. "The Cheif will see you in a few _moraines_ ," the greeter informed them, with a much more relaxed air. "A welcoming ship will greet you and guide you to your guest quarters. Thank you for visiting Nix." 

The feed went black, and Coran began piloting the ship lower. "I do believe moraines are their equivalent to vargas," Coran chatted idly. "It won't be long at all before we meet the Cheif."

As darkness grew thicker, a bright speck of green-tinted light came toward them. It flickered three times in a row, and then began to descend. 

"That must be our guide!" Coran chimed, and steered toward the light. 

As they drew closer, Keith could just begin to see the outline of a smoothly designed ship. It was small and graceful, with strips of small lights adorning its topside in long stripes. It almost had the appearance of a strange deep-sea creature. The Castle's own lights seemed too direct and sharp compared to its slight glow in the darkness.

They reached the planet's surface, only barely discernible in the dim lighting. Coran whistled. "Quite different from Erus, isn't it, Paladins?"

Hunk nodded nervously. "I feel closed in," he said, look up out the window. The gasses hung heavy and dark, more like cave ceilings than sky. 

"Alright, Team, remember their culture. Be courteous, and bow before speaking," Keith reminded them. "The smoother we secure their trust, the better." 

They nodded. 

Coran pulled up the feed from the training room. Allura was running evasively around a training bot. She yelled, and shot a pink burst of energy toward the drone through her spear. It fell to the ground in a mess of metallic limbs and sparks. She reached down over it, and retrieved the pink energy. 

"Princess, sorry to interrupt you," Coran said. She turned to the screen. "We've landed on Nix now, and will be leaving shortly."

"Thank you, Coran, good luck!" she said with a surprisingly cheerful wave. 

He flicked his hand, and a video of Slav in the teleduv appeared. "Hello, Slav!" Coran said happily. 

"Oh, hello, Coran," Slav replied. He was tinkering with some discs. 

"We'll be boarding Nix now if you don't mind pulling up the particle barrier, just in case!" 

"Not a problem in this reality for now!" Slav answered before the feed cut off. 

Coran turned around and looked at the Paladins. "You're all surprisingly quiet," he noted thoughtfully. 

Keith winced. But Lance stepped forward and spoke for him. "The last time we went on a mission without Shiro, Pidge got hurt. I think we're all just worried something bad will happen again," Lance told Coran. 

"Well, Paladins, that's an understandable fear, but you don't need to worry about that! We'll leave if there's any trouble, alright?" Coran said, surprisingly serious and considerate. 

_It's hard to remember that there's always more to Coran than his bright personality,_ Keith thought, thinking all the way back to how Coran had helped him figure out how to hide and then control his abilities. 

"Thanks, Coran," he said aloud. 

"Alright, enough talking, let's get to it, Paladins!" Coran said. 

\---

It felt like a starless night. There was still a small amount of light filtering through the clouds, but it was dulled and dimmed, giving the sky a deep indigo color, with slight patches of dark violet. 

Keith blinked, realizing that his eyes adjusted rather well when he didn't have the castle's lights in his field of vision. He concentrated, letting his eyes focus even sharper. 

He could see the outlines of a city, and noticed a glow of green in that side of the horizon. He saw tall towers and the little silhouettes of ships like the guides zipping around buildings. The air felt humid and peaceful, like he was caught outside just before a thunderstorm on Earth. He liked the feeling of being outdoors. 

"This is really nice," he commented. 

"What is? The pitch blackness?" Lance asked. 

"I meant the city and the weather. It just feels good here," Keith said, feeling defensive at Lance's dismissive tone. 

"What city?" Pidge asked. 

Keith pointed in it's direction. "That one. It can't be more that far away, right?" he said. 

"Dude, I can't see anything," Hunk said. 

Keith turned around to look at his team, all squinting in the dark. He could see them easily standing near the lights of the castle. They had little glowing patches in their formal attire as well, shining subtly on their shoulders and chests. Hunk held his hands in front of himself tentatively, as though afraid to accidentally bump into something. 

"What the cheese?" Lance cried. "Can you see in the dark, Keith? That's so unfair!" 

"What?" Keith asked. 

"Weird. His eyes are glowing," Pidge said, with a curious lit to her voice. 

"You're weirding me out a little, buddy," Hunk said nervously. 

"Come on now, Paladins," Coran said, walking quickly past them. "We need to meet our guide. And remember, they consider it rude to light your own way!" 

Keith shook off their comments and followed behind. His team followed, mumbling complaints when they stumbled over the uneven, rocky ground. 

Lance jerked forward to catch Pidge before she fell as her crutch twisted out from under her. "Let me help," he said, and supported her other half without waiting for her response. She mumbled a thanks. Hunk gave Lance a pat on the back. 

Keith suddenly felt very awkward. They seemed so comfortable with each other. If Keith had tried to catch Pidge with his strange, glowing eyes, would she have even let him touch her? Hunk seemed so nervous, too. And how did Lance feel about it?

His mind flashed back to when he and Lance had sparred, and Lance had accidentally broken his nose. _He hadn't panicked then about me,_ Keith reasoned. _Don't worry, Lance doesn't care about your weird eyes, either._

He continued following Coran, trying to appear calm and casual. It was probably a lot easier for him to feel comfortable than his team, because he could at least see where they were going. 

The guide's ship was about a hundred feet from their own. It was sleek, with dark metal contrasting the pale green lights along its side. The guide was standing in front of it, with one set of arms on their hips, and another clasped in front of their chest. Their silhouette was very slim and fluid, and they were in an interestingly loose outfit that flowed outward from each arm. 

"Hello, Royal Adviser and Paladins of Voltron!" they said cheerily. "Please call me Frai. Let us welcome you!" And then they leaped into the air, doing a small twirl, before bowing low as they fell, extending their arms gracefully. The Paladins bowed in response, as Coran had taught them.

"A beautiful greeting dance, Frai! And we thank you for it," Coran said. "May I offer you an Altean greeting as well?" 

Frai nodded graciously. Coran extended an arm out, nodding for Frai to do so as well. When they did, he grasped onto their forearm, and shook, similar to a handshake. Coran also began to change, growing slightly taller, and his skin turning as bright white as Frai's. 

Frai laughed brightly. "A very amusing welcome. Please, follow me to your rooms where you will be staying for your visit."

Keith felt himself relaxing. After the harsh greeting by the first Nixite, he was worried about the hospitality of the people here. But Frai seemed very nice and open to them. Keith had heard Coran call the Chief "she," but he had no way of knowing Frai's own gender.

They followed Frai closer to the city. 

"Whoa!" Lance suddenly exclaimed. "It's huge!" 

"Where? What?" Pidge asked. 

"Our capitol city is marvelous, isn't it?" Frai said. 

"I can't see it," Pidge muttered. 

"Oh I can see it now!" Hunk said. "Hey Pidge, do you think you need your glasses?"

"No!" she said quickly. 

Keith didn't comment. He was stuck in the middle of their little group, partially listening to Coran discuss the city with Frai and to Pidge's continuous denial to needing glasses. 

Instead, he wondered how Shiro was doing. He thought about the nightmare he'd had, with Shiro looking at him desperately with yellow eyes. What had that meant? 

_What would he say when he saw_ my _yellow eyes?_

He hoped Allura would save him soon. 

The city was called Lumiol, and now they were close enough to see the wide expanse of buildings clearly. They were large and rounded, with the soft green lights adorning every surface. It seemed to cut through the gasses far enough to form a soft halo of light around the city. 

"Wow," Pidge breathed. 

"I apologize for the earlier darkness to your light-dependent eyes," Frai said to the Paladins. "But without the darkness, our Lumiol would not shine as beautifully." 

"I gotta admit, it _is_ beautiful," Lance said in admiration. 

The approached a set of lower buildings. They were still lifted up on stilts, and had graceful stairs leading up to large, ornate doors. 

"This is our guest housing. Please follow me," Frai said. 

They climbed the stairs and entered the building.

Huge, muscled, and scarred aliens all lounged in a common area. Some had eye patches covering a few of their several sets of eyes. They were all armed, with a wide array of weapons hanging from their waists and backs. One spit into a pretty trashcan near the door, making Hunk jump backward. There was long bar along one wall, with a Nixite cleaning two cups at once, and they smiled at the Paladins.

"I guess this is _is_ a planet full of mercenaries," Lance said quietly. 

"Yes," Frai responded to his underhand comment. "However, these are our clients, and most esteemed guests."

"Ah," Lance said, embarrassed. 

"If all of these--er--talented-looking aliens are clients, I wonder how, uh, skilled the Nixite mercenaries are," Hunk tried to observe politely.

Keith knew he meant, _If these guys are_ buying _and they're this scary, how bad are the Nixites?_

But Frai ignored Hunk's comment. "Right this way," they said, leading the team up a staircase on the other side of the taproom. 

They lead the team upstairs, to a lift system. It was similar to an elevator, but Keith couldn't see a power source, and it was a glass box that seemed to levitate on its own, glowing green. It traveled up the side of the building. 

They rode up, looking at the view outside. Keith had no particular fear of heights, but Lance turned around and closed his eyes. "No thanks," he mumbled. Keith, unsure of how bad it was, gave Lance a comforting pat on the back, which he seemed to appreciate. 

Frai gestured grandly with their four arms once they reached the top. "Your rooms, Paladins of Voltron."

The door opened, revealing a huge expanse of lush rooms. 

They each scurried in, excited about the warm welcome. Lance immediately rushed to the bathroom, crying with joy, "Look at all of these skin care products!" 

Keith felt his eyes relaxing back to normal in the soft, bright lighting. He was thankful that the Nixites didn't believe in darkness all the time. He watched his friends run around and take in the rooms. Coran was thanking Frai, and they said they would return to escort them to dinner in a few hours. Apparently, it was only early afternoon, not that any of them could tell. 

"And then we will visit with the Chief?" Coran asked.

"Tonight? Oh, no, she's not free for another few moraines," Frai said, politely implying that was a dumb question. 

"Moraines are like Altean vargas, correct?" Coran asked hesitantly. 

"More similar to quintents, actually," Frai said. "I'll be back to guide you all in a _lacks,_ which would be more similar to your vargas." With that, they bowed and gracefully danced out of the room. 

"Wait, quintents are days right?" Hunk asked. 

"Yes, they are. I guess I got my intergalactic conversions mixed up again. Well, Paladins, it appears we'll be here for a few days by your definition!" Coran said brightly. 

"We only have formal attire!" Pidge protested. "Can't we go back to the Castle?" 

"I think that would be seen as rude. Don't worry, Number 5, our hosts will provide us more changes of clothes and other necessities," Coran assured her. 

"Will Allura be okay without us for a few days? What about her training?" Keith asked. 

Coran rubbed a hand across his mustache. "Well, as long as she doesn't overdo it, she'll be fine." He paused. "But in case you haven't noticed, Allura tends to completely devote herself to her goals. I'll give her a little call!"

He flicked one of his earrings, and it glowed a pleasant orange color. "Princess?" he said.

Keith dimly heard her response. "Coran? What is it?" She seemed out of breath.

"I may have underestimated the amount of time this will take," Coran admitted bashfully. 

"What does that mean?"

"I think we'll be here for a few quintents, not vargas," he said, wincing. 

She made a noise of frustration. "Just do as you see best," she said. "I need to keep training. I think I'm almost ready."

"Princess, just don't overdo it, please?" Coran pleaded. 

Allura sighed. "I won't, Coran. Contact me after you meet with their Chief."

"Will do, Princess," he said, and flicked the coms back off. 

_I think I'm almost ready._ The words rang inside Keith, and he hoped that Allura was close to saving Shiro. 

He felt helpless, and wondered if there was even a point to staying on this dark planet. _Shiro_ was still trapped in his Lion's spiritual plane of _existence,_ and they were traipsing about in stiff clothing trying to befriend a race of assassins and mercenaries. 

He started gritting his teeth in frustration, and accidentally pricked his tongue. This really was a bad habit of his, especially with sharp teeth. 

He stormed over to the far side of their rooms, where he found the door to a balcony. He took care not to slam the door in his anger so he didn't draw the attention of the others. He wanted to be left alone for a moment.

He leaned on the gracefully designed rail, looking out over the city. Lumiol glowed a gentle, bright green, encasing the city in a halo of light. With his eyes adjusted to the light, he couldn't see much in the inky distance beyond the city. Wind tugged at his hair, pulling strands out of the little knot he'd tied it in to keep him presentable. 

There were vehicles like his own hover-bike zipping around corners, emitting the now familiar green. He looked at them, and felt a pang of longing for his own bike on Earth. 

For a second, just for his own indulgence, he willed himself to become fully human again. He looked at his pale hands, and ran his sore tongue over his dull teeth. 

He remained out there for what felt like hours, trying to calm himself by breathing in the humid air. He tugged his hair out of the knot and let the wind tangle it.

After a while, he heard the door open, and whipped around, feeling suddenly guilty that he'd been avoiding his friends. 

Lance walked out toward the ledge. His collar was unbuttoned, and he'd taken off the jacket. 

"Hey Keith. Wow, that's an awesome view," he said, taking it in. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, not looking away from the city. 

"Yeah, just frustrated," Keith admitted. He'd thought he hadn't wanted any of the others to talk to him. But now that Lance was out here, he felt himself relaxing a little. 

"I think I can tell," Lance said with a little crooked smile. 

Keith rolled his eyes, and changed his form back to his normal self, watching his hands darken to lilac. Lance laughed. 

"I think I really have the hang of it now," Keith said. "Even though I'm anxious for Shiro and Allura, I can keep it in check."

"That's good," Lance said, and then was quiet. 

Keith eyed him. "You seem...subdued," he commented. 

"Well, to be honest, I'm anxious and frustrated too," Lance said. "I think we all are. And the fact that we're going to be here for days instead of hours isn't making anything easier." 

Keith tentatively patted Lance's shoulder. "Well, don't let it get to you. These people could end up being very powerful allies to have. They have alliances all over with their clients, and that would make it easier to recruit those planets as well."

Lance gave a little laugh. "You're so weird. You're comforting _me_ now?" 

Keith laughed too. "I guess I am."

Lance turned and faced him. He took a deep breath. "Keith, I have to tell you, I--"

"Oh, there you guys are!" Hunk yelled, bursting the door open, making them both jump. "Frai is back, and we need to clean up for dinner."

"We'll be right there," Keith said. 

Lance sighed.

They walked back inside, Keith hurrying to tie up his hair, and Lance throwing on his jacket and buttoning his collar. 

Frai smiled warmly at them, their pale eyes sparkling. "How are you all on this wonderful evening? Right this way, Paladins of Voltron."

As they followed Frai, Keith realized he didn't know what Lance had been trying to say to him. He looked behind him, but Lance was helping Pidge walk, and talking with Hunk. Keith supposed it would have to wait until after dinner. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to spoil it by putting it in the tags, so in case you guys haven't figured it out yet, this fic contains pining Lance!
> 
> Sorry, but it's so slow burn I didn't want to spoil anything.
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	17. Decisive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura trains hard to save Shiro. She has to control her powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A snippet from Allura's perspective! 
> 
> Thanks for reading. I had to run out the door again, so sorry for typos!

She yelled as she lunged with her spear, the end sparkling with her own quintessence. 

The practice droid's sad attempt to block was easily brushed aside, and it was overwhelmed with energy. It clanked to the floor in a loose jumble of wires and metal. 

Allura leaned over it, and breathed in, taking up her energy back inside herself. 

Platt, the largest mouse, waddled over with a water pouch. Chuchule had a small rag she handed up to her. Allura panted as she smiled at them, out of breath. She wiped her forehead with the rag, pulling some of the hairs that had fallen out of her bun away from her face. Plachu and Chulatt had little skirts on that Lance had made them, and were dancing to encourage her. She laughed. 

They whispered in her mind that she was doing a great job. "Thank you all," Allura said aloud to them. "Though I am afraid I am not going about this right. I knew such abilities existed, but I thought they were just legends. I didn't know that _I_ would be able to manipulate my quintessence as pure energy this way."

She glanced over at the destroyed drone. It fell through an opening that appeared in the floor, to the automatic repair center of the Castle. 

"I am worried that combat is strengthening my ability, however not in the right way. I'm guessing that saving Shiro will be a more delicate act."

At his name, her throat closed up. She tried not to imagine his soft, dark eyes, and the tuft of white hair adorning his head. 

When they had first gotten to know each other, she hadn't known that the mark on his nose was a scar. She had simply thought it was a marking unique to some humans. But then Shiro had confessed for her that he hated staring in the mirror at an injury so obvious to everyone else, and not remember how he had received it. 

She told him she hadn't thought it was a scar from an injury, and had told him she had thought it was a striking mark. As a rule, Alteans do not get scars, because their bodies are so adept at changing already. It was hard for her to recognize scar tissue on other species. He seemed to be comforted by this, in his quiet way. 

Allura bent down and scooped the mice up, letting them climb on her shoulders. "I think I need to try to communicate with the Black Lion," she said, finally deciding. "I need to at least to make sure I'm going in the right direction."

\---

The hangar for the Black Lion was the largest and most intimidating. The Lion filled up the space, and it seemed you could never be completely out of her field of vision in there. She loomed over Allura, making her feel small. 

The mice patted her back. 

"Black Lion," she said, using all of the command in her voice that she could muster. "Will you let me save Shiro?"

The Lion's yellow eyes shone an unwavering glow. 

Allura walked over to the Lion, and placed her hand on the right paw. She closed her eyes. She focused her energy as she had been practicing. 

"Show me how to save him," she said. She tried to keep her tone even, but it came out pleading despite herself. 

The Lion growled, startling her, but she did not take her hand off. 

Her quintessence was pooling under her hand, a small bubble of energy she was containing to herself. Gently, she pushed it through the Black Lion. 

Her vision suddenly filled with an array of blacks, purples, and indigo. She seemed to be in the middle of an empty and colorful area in space, with a ground that mirrored the sky. "Where is Shiro!" she demanded, her voice seeming separate from herself. 

"Allura," a weak voice said behind her. 

She turned, and there he was. He was in a black bodysuit, with a shredded shirt hanging over his broad shoulders. He was looking down. 

"Shiro!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes. She ran to him, arms outstretched to pull him close to her. 

He looked up at her, eyes glowing yellow. An evil laugh came from his lips. She gasped, trying to back away. He lurched forward, and grabbed her right arm. She felt him block her quintessence somehow, preventing her from conducting it. 

"You're not Shiro," she spit. "Let go of me."

The false Shiro laughed again, something eerie that made her skin crawl. "Oh yes, Princess, I am. I am what is keeping me trapped in this plane. You feel my effect on your quintessence, don't you?" His smile was wicked. 

She glared at him, ignoring the fear he put in her chest. 

He chuckled. "I am stopping our quintessence from leaving. To save us, you have to remove me."

Shiro's face froze, and he blinked. He looked at Allura with his own, normal eyes. "Allura?" he asked, suddenly surprised. He wasn't the evil thing he had been a second ago. The grip on her arm turned desperate. "Allura, please, you have to get out of here. I've been fighting him for now, I'll be fine, I just have to keep him at bay."

"Shiro! Shiro, no, you have to defeat it!" she yelled. "Shiro, let me help you!"

Her Shiro closed his eyes, and in his place was the fearsome false Shiro. He barked out a laugh. "You can't help. He can't defeat me. Don't worry, this is what the Lion wants. She wants her Paladin within her spiritual plane, forever, to form the ultimate bond! No Paladin will ever betray her again." 

He pulled Allura in close, and his tone went soft. "Don't worry about me, Princess, I'll be fine."

She felt repulsed. It was trying to _comfort_ her. She finally lashed out with her other hand, quintessence or no. 

He leaped backward, letting go of her. She regained control of her quintessence. She let her power grow, lobbing a ball of pink energy at the fake Shiro, the glow illuminating their tiny part of the astral plane. It struck him square in the chest.

"Leave Shiro _alone_!" she shrieked, throwing all she had at him. 

It hit him again, and he fell to the ground. "Allura," he panted. He looked up at her with his soft, dark eyes, and coughed. 

"Shiro?" she asked quietly, tears filling her vision again. 

"Allura, please, it hurts. I...you're hurting me too."

She put her hands to her face, but didn't approach him. "Shiro," she begged, "you have to fight it. This block on your quintessence, you have to break away from it to leave the Black Lion. She wants you to be safe, she didn't mean to trap you!"

He looked at her desperately. "Allura, I'll try. I promise. Please, please go. Get out of here."

His eyes flashed yellow again. He slowly stood, and lunged at her.

She was thrown backward, away from the Black Lion, and laid panting on the floor of the hangar. 

Allura began sobbing, covering her face in her hands. The mice patted her hair, and comforted her with soft words in her mind. They could see what she had just experienced, and were shedding little tears as well. 

"Shiro, I'm sorry," she gasped. 

She laid there until she cried herself out. Then she got up and looked backward at the Black Lion, before leaving to return to the training room.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again!


	18. A Few Feet Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team learns about Nix's culture at dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much again! I'm sorry that previous chapter, I hope this one makes you feel better! 
> 
> (This is not plot heavy if you want to skip it.)
> 
> This chapter does have bit of drinking and signs of intoxication (from nunville)!

The dining hall was in a smaller building next to the guest housing. But "smaller," still entailed a huge, open area, with a twenty-foot long dining table. There was also a wide expanse of flooring with a beautiful tiling that resembled granite, but with little flecks of glowing green mineral veins. It was polished to a shine, but had a slight, regular pattern of grooves within the wax to keep it from being slick. It was the largest area Keith had ever seen without columns for support.

The dinner would be taking place in a few minutes, Frai had told them. They each found their assigned seating at the huge table. Keith couldn't read the language on the cards, but they were color coordinated. There were also spots reserved between them for other leaders from other cities. 

Keith was sitting directly across from Lance. Pidge was a couple seats away from his right. Hunk was a few seats from Lance's left. Coran was a couple seats to Keith's left.

There was a spot reserved for the Chief at the end of the table. However, Frai had said it was out of courtesy, and that the Chief would not be here for three more moraines. The other leaders would let the Chief know their impression of Voltron, and then she would meet them for herself. 

Keith looked at the silverware in front of him. On either side of a small plate was several sets of silver sporks. Hunk lifted one up with delight, beaming at Lance. 

Lance gave him a wide smile in return, but he looked away quickly. Keith wondered if something was bothering him. Usually parties were his thing, and he would be bouncing with excitement. But he seemed stressed, and a bit worn. He looked tired in his formal clothes, and Keith couldn't blame him. 

Suddenly, doors opened at the far ends of the room. An array of Nixites poured in, in different states of dress and formalities. 

One Nixite was huge, towering over all the others. They were wrapped in leather, and brandished a huge bow across their back. Keith wondered if he could shoot two arrows at once with the extra arms. 

Some of the Nixites were in flowing gowns, and some were also in the same tough leather. Some wore form fitting suits, and one came out in a flashy green outfit that actually glowed. The silky, white strands of hair that each had were pinned up and let down in all different ways. A band set up, and began to play curious, tinkling music. 

They were so striking, even to Keith, who usually didn't get too enamored with beautiful things.

Keith remembered his manners at the last second, hurrying to stand with the rest of his friends to bow in unison. As guests, they had been seated first to take in the scenery, and now they bowed in greeting and appreciation. 

After that, Keith's knowledge of their courtesies was lost. Coran hadn't explained that far. He glanced over at Pidge questioningly. She shrugged. But their attention was drawn back to the floor.

The Nixites began to dance. 

The ones with gowns and tight suits danced, long and graceful. The ones wearing leather went to stand by their seats at the table. Keith guessed they were the other leaders. 

"Hunk, are you getting a flashback from the Baku?" Lance whispered to his left. 

Hunk nodded, anxious. 

Keith narrowed his eyes, wondering if it was a trap. The dancers spun and twirled, performing an amazing array of moves. They lifted partners up, and did flips as they set them down. They music grew louder and more complex, building to a grand melody. Finally, with a quick succession of flips and kicks, the music and the dancers all stopped. 

One stepped forward. The Nixite with the elaborate and flashy green outfit with glowing rocks woven in the fabric bowed. "Guests of Chief Raei, we welcome you. Dinner is served!" they announced. 

Nixites appeared behind them with trays of food in their extra sets of hands. They set the food, and then all together in a wave of arms motioned for everyone to sit down. Keith eyed the other leaders, and followed their example, bowing slightly before sitting. 

The dancers all began to sway, but the music and chattering indicated they were no longer the main event. The leader in the seat next to Keith was the large one with the formidable bow. The large Nixite elbowed him, and murmured, "A bit of advice: the _catchaes_ are terrible. Don't eat them." Their voice was low and rumbling.

Keith nodded, surprised. He had no clue what the _catchaes_ were, but he just said, "Thanks for the warning."

The leader grunted and nodded. 

They began to dig into dinner, and the Nixite leaders began joking and jostling each other immediately. This seemed very comfortable and casual for them. Lance was talking with the slim leader to his right, and from his gestures Keith could tell he was using his usual charm. 

The one beside Keith nudged him again, pointing at the _catchae_ on his spork as he was lifting it to his mouth. He shook his head slightly, and Keith put it back on the plate. Then the leader smiled, pointing at Keith's friends as their faces screwed up in disgust, having eaten the awful food. Keith bit down laughter.

The leader next to Pidge asked her about her leg, and Keith winced, but she smiled wide and explained that Hunk and Coran and designed and made it for her. She motioned toward them, and the leader let them know how amazing it was. 

"Ah, it was nothing for the old Coran-ic!" Coran said.

"The old--what?" the Nixite asked. 

"Don't worry about it," Hunk said hurriedly. 

The leaders names were Lear, Wae, Va, Taul, Caern, Reesae, and Moar. The large one next to Keith was Caern, and he made Keith laugh with underhand comments on several occasions through the dinner, making fun of the leader Lance was talking to, Reesae. 

"He's so young, and a terrible flirt," Caern said. "One time, he tried to seduce the High Priestess of Candrak. As you can imagine, that did not go well!" He said this with a bellowing laugh that vibrated Keith's chest.

Reesae let out a bubbling, delighted laugh. Keith rolled his eyes at the flattered face Lance made in response. 

"Reesae is in good company," Keith responded to Caern. "Lance once flirted with a woman that tied him to a tree and stole his Lion."

Caern boomed out a laugh. "This will be a pleasant night for them, then, I suppose," he chuckled. 

"So Caern," Keith said, "please tell me about yourself."

"I am the leader of Ruhuul. I am the greatest archer on Nix, slayer of the Great Scooth!" he boomed. "I have been in a gas storm in the Wrinth Sea and lived to tell the tale. I have brought back millions of credits to our planet by serving clients from all over the Universe!" 

This loud declaration drew the attention of his other friends. Hunk glanced nervously around, a bit scared of the fearsome Nixite. 

Keith inclined his head politely. "You sound very fearsome." 

Caern patted him rougly on the back, making Keith lurch forward, almost into his food. "Hah!" he roared. "I just like to do the whole routine every once in a while." 

Keith laughed in response. 

"Now you, Red Paladin Keith, tell me about yourself!" Caern insisted. "How is a Galran half-breed a Defender of the Universe?"

Keith bristled at the description, but answered politely. "I don't know my heritage, only that I grew up on our home planet, Earth," he said, motioning to the other Paladins. "We have defeated Zarkon, and will then defeat evil Empire forces." He said this with his chin high, defiant. 

"Hah!" Caern laughed. "I like your fire, little one. Hey, Va, what do you think of these Earthlings?" 

The leader next to Pidge smiled. "This one has a false limb that connects fully to her nervous system! I like her!" she declared, in a sing-song like voice. She pointed with two of her arms at Pidge, and then one at Hunk and one at Coran. "And the Yellow Paladin and the Altean adviser designed it! I like them!" 

Va turned to Reesae. "Reesae, dear, what do you think of the Blue Paladin?"

Reesae smiled at Lance, who gave a wry smile back. "His home on this Varadero Beach sounds most beautiful," he purred. "Just like he is." The slim Nixite looked at him knowingly.

Lance gave a crooked smile, giggling. "You know it," he said, winking at Reesae, who laughed brightly. 

Keith rolled his eyes. "There he is," he muttered. But something tugged his gut that wasn't his usual annoyance for Lance's attitudes. 

Caern turned back to Keith. "They do seem to be an interesting pair, don't they?" he said. 

Keith nodded, frowning. 

"What's the matter? Is he your mate?" Caern asked. 

"What?" Keith asked, sure he heard wrong.

"The Blue Paladin, is he yours? Are you upset with Reesae's flirting?" Cearn asked, smile gone.

"No, no, of course not! He's not my--no--he isn't--" Keith stammered. 

Caern laughed, waving a pair of hands dismissively. "My mistake, I apologize." 

Keith didn't respond, too surprised and embarrassed at the question. He continued to eat. Caern turned to Taul, and made what Keith gleaned to be a dirty joke that he didn't understand, but made Taul laugh and blush. 

The dinner continued in that fashion for a bit longer, with the leaders hanging out like old friends, telling stories to the Paladins and teasing each other about the details. 

Keith kept glancing across the table to Lance, who was leaning closer and closer to Reesae throughout the meal. When Lance burst out with laughter, and placed a hand on Reesae's chest, Keith suddenly kicked one of his legs under the table. 

Lance's laugh choked off in his throat, and his eyes went to Keith's, affronted. Keith glared at him, raising an eyebrow. Lance huffed in response, taking his hand off Reesae to cross his arms. Reesae looked confused, but then kept on telling Lance his joke.

Keith relaxed slightly. 

"Guests of Chief Raei! It is now time for dessert and nunville! Please, enjoy!" The dancing Nixite from before came forward to announce, green dress flashing. 

"Nunville!" Coran exclaimed with delight, smiling. He told Wae beside him that it was his favorite concoction in the Universe. "How else would I get my mustache to be so magnificent?"

Keith made a face, but sipped at the glass after it was set in front of him to be polite. He had a sweet tooth, and the dessert suited him. The bitter nunville began to warm his cheeks. 

Pidge politely turned away a cup, explaining that she was young, and shouldn't drink. Hunk accepted a glass, but only touched it to his lips a few times. Lance drank as if it tasted fine, chatting away. 

"Guests of Chief Raei!" the dancer called. "Please, allow us to welcome you to the floor at your earliest convenience!" 

"Finally!" Caern bellowed. He looked over a Keith. "This is the only reason I come to these things! Hah!" 

He and the other leaders stood, excited to move to the floor. The band struck up an exciting tune. Reesae gracefully extended a set of arms out to Lance, who followed him out. Wae offered the same to Coran, who also accepted. 

Pidge grabbed her crutch from below her seat, and stood at the edge of the dance floor. "I am _not_ dancing," she said. 

"I'm, uh, gonna help her!" Hunk added. "I'll make sure she stays safe and doesn't drink too much."

"Hey!" Pidge protested. "I haven't drank anything!" 

Keith eyed the bobbing crowd. They each had unique dances and moves, but each they all swayed together in time with the beat in a way that was mesmerizing. The lights seemed dimmer. 

Coran was moving jerkily with Wae. She was polite, offering her arms to him even as he jumped and bounced.

Lance was being twirled around and lifted up by Reesae's strong arms. Lance grinned, and followed along with ease. 

Keith huffed and rolled his eyes. He was angry, but not sure why. He felt his ears flatten toward his skull, just a bit longer than usual. 

"Keith!" Lance called. His face was flushed. He skipped over to him. Reesae looked a bit irritated. 

"Keith, would you like to dance with me?" Lance asked, grabbing his hands. 

His ears flicked forward, shrinking back to their normal, pointed size. "No, Lance, I can't--"

"Please!" Lance begged, tugging at Keith's arm toward the floor. 

Keith bit his lip. "Okay, just one--"

Laughter bubbled out of Lance before Keith could finish speaking. He took Keith's hands and placed them on his hips. Lance put his hands on Keith's shoulders. The song turned relaxed and smooth. 

_This is definitely not what I had in mind_ , Keith thought to himself in panic. 

But Lance gave him a wry grin. "I'm trying to show off Earth dances to Reesae. Is this okay with you?"

Keith nodded.

Lance started moving his hips and stepping lightly in a circle with Keith. They moved gently with the music, not nearly as fluid and complex as the Nixites around them. They had started at the edge of the dance floor, but as Nixites noticed them dancing, they were slowly guided toward the center of the crowd. Caern gave Keith a pat on the back as he turned with Va. 

Suddenly they were very much the center of attention. Keith felt his face going red, and wondered if it was noticable under his purple tones. 

Lance winked at him, giving him a crooked smile. 

The lights seemed to dim, and Keith was nervous. He staggered slightly, and accidentally landed a foot on Lance's toes. 

The Nixites gasped, all the dancing coming to a stop. The band faltered and went silent.

Keith looked down, and remembered Coran's warning that stepping on your partner's toe was one of the greatest insults in their culture. He froze. 

Lance looked at him, and shrugged desperately. "It's alright?" he tried. "I forgive you?"

Reesae burst through the crowd. "Red Paladin!" he said. "We don't know how you do it on Earth or Altea or wherever you're from, but that particular insult is not allowed here."

"I'm sorry, it was an accident," Keith stammered. 

Reesae ignored him, rushing over to Lance. "Are you alright, Lance? Here, let me tend to you in my chambers."

Keith tightened his grip on Lance's hips, pulling him closer. "Lance is fine. He forgives me. It is not an insult to us, but we apologize for offending you all." Keith bowed slightly, and he was close enough to feel Lance breathe on the back of his down-turned head. 

Reesae narrowed his eyes. "See that your footwork improves, Red Paladin. For now, I think the night has gone on long--"

"One more song!" Caern protested in his deep, commanding voice. He motioned for the band to play, and like a spell had been broken, the crowd returned to its graceful swaying. 

Keith turned back to Lance, eyes wide. He realized he still had Lance pulled closer to him. "Ah, sorry," he sputtered, putting him back at arm's length.

"It's alright," Lance murmured, sly grin gone. He seemed a bit shaken up by how close they'd just come to ruining their impression with the Nixites.

"Caern's a character, huh?" Keith said awkwardly. 

Coran hopped over to them. "Paladins! I paged for Frai to take us back to our rooms. I think it is time to end this before we--ah--loose any of the good graces we earned over dinner."

"You saw that, then?" Keith asked, wincing. 

"I'm afraid so. Quite embarrassing. I almost left without the two of you!" Coran said. 

"Gee, thanks, Coran," Lance grumbled. 

Keith slowly took his hands from Lance's hips, as if reluctant to let go. He looked at the ground as he followed Coran out. 

Frai beamed at them from the large exit. "Right this way, Paladins of Voltron!"

Pidge tapped Keith's elbow as they walked. "What was all that about? Why did they stop dancing?"

Keith grimaced. "I, uh, stepped on Lance's toe. It's a big insult in their culture."

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "You two were dancing?" she asked, voice full of disbelief. 

"Let's not talk about it," Keith muttered. He increased his stride slightly, pulling forward to be at the front of the group. 

"I think this nunville is getting to me," Lance sighed to Hunk. "I'm ready to go lay down."

Keith bit his lip, pricking his skin with his sharp teeth. 

They returned to their rooms, and Frai bid them a good night. 

Keith hurried to his room, and pulled off the silly formal attire as quickly as he could. He laid in bed, and tried not to think about Reesae dancing with Lance, Lance's wry grin, or what the Chief will think of them now.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Sorry about any typos, I'm a bit tired!
> 
> Update: I cleaned up some typos!


	19. Alliances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and the team are worn out. They meet the Chief, and report back to the Castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And back to the plot! I'm really excited about where this is going. I think I will be able to finish it all up in 25 chapters, so they may be a bit longer to get everything in. Thanks for being patient!

Keith slept deeply. 

He was dreaming, but nothing continuous. It was flashes and bursts of colors or voices. 

"Keith," Shiro's voice called softly. Keith tried to look for him, but couldn't see him. 

He heard Allura cry out, "Shiro, fight it!" A bright pink light filled his vision. 

He saw Pidge standing with a bag packed, ready to leave Team Voltron all those months ago. "I'm going to find my family," she said, tilting her chin up defiantly. Keith felt the stab of betrayal again. He saw the picture she cherished with Matt, her brother.

A flash of her, crushed under the control panel in her Lion. 

Then Lance was looking at him, horrified. He felt himself turn away from Lance, and activate his bayard. He felt himself growl at an enemy he couldn't see. He felt himself grow taller, teeth sharper, and snarl. 

"Keith, no, wait, stop!" Lance shouted behind him. 

Keith ignored him, and swung his sword with a shout. 

He opened his eyes, for a moment still afraid he was dreaming when he didn't recognize where he was. He realized he was in his guest room on Nix, and relaxed. 

He headed to the bathroom that was adjacent to his room. He quickly showered, hesitantly trying the bottles of products that were labeled neatly in a language he couldn't read. 

He wondered about how big of an issue it was that he had stepped on Lance's toe. He didn't know enough about the culture to know if it made them seem like untrustworthy people. Especially the fact that he was part Galra, and offended them. That may already be two strikes against him. 

Keith groaned, throwing a hand over his face. He saw in his dressing room there were clothes in his size laid out for him. He chose the simplest one he could find, happy that there was only one set of arm holes. It was a black tunic with a red belt, and red pants underneath. He pulled back his wet hair into a little knot. He tucked his knife away safely under the tunic.

He finally left the quiet of his room to join his friends for breakfast. 

\---

"Morning, Keith!" Hunk greeted him. "Or at least, I guess it's morning, but we can't see a sun."

"Hey, Hunk." Keith smiled. 

They had a kitchen area in their guest suite. A breakfast had been brought to them, and though it had the weird look of all alien food, it tasted pretty good. It had Hunk's approval, and that mattered most to Keith. 

Pidge had her leg off, and seemed to be content, with her plate empty and her hands behind her head. 

Coran was inhaling his food almost as fast as Hunk. He was still stretched tall and pale, and Keith idly wondered how long he would stay looking similar to the Nixites. 

Lance wasn't at the table. 

"Where's Lance?" Keith asked. 

Hunk shrugged. "Maybe he's still asleep?" Pidge added. 

"I'll go check on him," Keith said. 

He went over to Lance's rooms, and knocked softly on the outer door. "Lance?"

The door opened quicker than Keith thought it would, and startled him. 

"Hey Keith," Lance grumbled, looking at him. He was clean and dressed in a similar Nixite outfit to Keith's, with his blue tones. 

"Morning, Lance," Keith said, and suddenly felt all of last night's activities settle in his stomach. He looked away from Lance's eyes. "I was just checking that you were doing okay. Would you like to eat breakfast?"

"Not really," Lance said quietly. 

"Okay," Keith said, not wanting to press him. He understood wanting to be alone every now and then. "Well, um, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for stepping on your toe last night."

His voice lilted upward like a question without him meaning too. 

Lance blinked, and then gave a breathy laugh. "Keith, you know that doesn't bother me. But yeah, I'm worried we may have offended Reesae and some of the other leaders."

Keith tried to ignore the sudden flash of resentment at the mention of Reesae. "He seemed like a jerk," Keith spit out before he could stop himself. 

Lance laughed softly again. "Yeah, I guess so. I thought he was sweet, but I've been wrong before."

Keith winced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"No, no, it's okay, I could tell you didn't like him. And after you stepped on my toe? Holy crow he blew that up, asking to see me in his chambers! I thought you were gonna punch him," Lance said with a curved grin. 

"I almost did instead of apologizing," Keith admitted. 

Keith thought of what Caern had asked him. _"The Blue Paladin, is he yours? Are you upset with Reesae's flirting?"_ Keith felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment. He thought about dancing with Lance.

"Well, I'm going to go eat breakfast, so--" he stammered awkwardly, turning to leave.

"Wait, Keith," Lance said.

"Yeah?"

"I feel like I was a jerk last night. I was totally flirting with that leader, and I..." Lance broke off, for once at a loss for words. "I probably shouldn't have been."

Keith felt tense. "You don't have to apologize to me."

"Well, if I messed stuff up for us, you're the leader of Voltron right now. I don't want you to think it's your fault," Lance said, looking down. 

"Okay. Thanks, Lance," Keith said. A thought occurred to him. "But I mean, have you seen the way you've been helping Pidge and Hunk lately? And how you took control at the battle with Lorkux when I was being too hot-headed? I mean, I think you've been a leader to Voltron, too."

As soon as he said it aloud, he knew it was true. Lance had taken on more responsibilities, and kept a level head with ease. He'd been strategic in battles, came up with plans to save Shiro right after he disappeared, and helped to organize the team to save Pidge. He was an excellent leader, and he had quietly stepped up even though no one else seemed to notice. 

Keith remembered how worn out he had looked right after Shiro had vanished. Lance had pulled through so much and lost a lot of sleep in those first few nights, helping Allura and Coran and probably the others, too, even though Keith hadn't seen it. He remembered Lance helping him set his broken nose, not caring that he was purple with Galra features.

Even before then, Keith remembered how Lance had thrown himself in front of a bomb to save Coran. He remembered him and Lance working together to fight Empire forces that were attacking the Castle, after they had to climb up the broken elevator shaft.

"You and I make a great team," Keith said, looking into his eyes. 

Lance looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. "Yeah, I guess we do, huh?" he said with an astonished grin. 

Keith turned to go to breakfast, nodding his head to indicate Lance was still invited. Lance laughed, and followed him back to the others. 

\---

They walked into the large dining hall, and it was as stunning as it had been the night before. 

The Paladins and Coran took their places at the table, and watched as the Nixites entered and began dancing again. The leaders joined them at the table. Caern loomed over Keith but gave him a warm smile of greeting. 

Reesae narrowed his eyes at him. Keith didn't bother reining in his temper this time, and lifted his chin defiantly. 

The large group of Nixites on the dance floor began twirling and gliding in large arcs and spins. The one from last night in the glowing green gown stepped forward, and the music reached an ending cord. 

"Guests! Allow us to introduce to you our Chief, Raei the Luminous!" 

The Paladins all looked at each other, wide eyed. They hadn't know the Chief would be there tonight. Coran shrugged helplessly.

Their attention was drawn to the far doors that opened slowly. A Nixite as tall as Caern stepped out. She was draped in a mixture of hard leather and green fabrics. She had a large bow on her back, a sword on her hip, and an elaborate headdress, making her look even larger. 

The Nixites, other leaders, and Team Voltron all bowed. The room held its breath.

Cheif Raei giggled, snorting. She quickly waved her right arms in a blur. "Stop, stop, stop!" she laughed. "Oh, this is silly, isn't it, Paladins? For some reason my planet loves to dance and be as formal as ever on our soil! But when I'm home, I'd rather be relaxed!"

Caern murmured softly down to Keith, "That's our Raei."

"Sit down, you're all making me tired!" she commanded as she strutted over to her seat. A nervous Nixite pulled it out for her, but she shooed them away, seating herself. 

They all followed, and the other leaders grinned openly at her. 

"So," Chief Raei began. "My leaders have all told me that you lot needed to be seen immediately. Luckily for them and you all, I didn't have any missions to take care of today. So." She put all four of her hands together. "Tell me about yourselves." 

She looked pointedly at Keith. 

"We are Paladins of Voltron. Together, we pilot the Lions that come together to form the Universe's most powerful weapon," Keith said. "We serve Princess Allura of the planet Altea. This is her Royal Adviser, acting in her stead as she couldn't be here tonight. We stand for freedom and hope in the Universe. We have defeated Zarkon, and would like to request Nix's strength in our fight against remaining evil."

She pursed her lips. "Wow! That was pretty. Been practicing that one all night, huh?"

Keith flushed, feeling anger flare curiously in his stomach, unsure if he was being insulted. 

"Now, my mother's mother was Chief ten thousand years ago. She passed down these stories of Voltron. However," Raei said, leveling a stern look at Keith. "In her stories, there were five Paladins."

Keith swallowed. Lance saved him. "Our Black Paladin, Shiro, is with the Princess. They are protecting the Universe while we visit your planet," he said smoothly. 

It wasn't _completely_ a lie. But the team all agreed it was safer to not let anyone know Shiro was missing, and they nodded. 

The Chief lifted one of her sporks up, tapping it thoughtfully against her lips. "Moar, repeat what you told me about Voltron last night. Do you think we should aid them, when we have remained a neutral and peaceful planet for all these millennia?"

Moar was the oldest and grayest of the Nixites. "They seem charming and brilliant. Their stories are very inspiring, and my old bones are tired of sitting around. You say we have been neutral, Chief, however I think in our neutrality we have in fact aided the spread of the Galra Empire. This seems a bit rude."

Raei nodded again. "Va? What about you?"

"I like them!" she said immediately in her sing-song voice. "The Green one is my favorite. I also like the Yellow and Orange ones. They're my favorites too. I want to fight for them!"

Raei laughed. "Thank you, Va. Lear?"

Lear cleared his throat. "They're annoying. That one stepped on that one's toes, plus he's part Galra. They're incompetent. I say no." He pointed with disinterest at Keith and Lance in turn.

Lance looked affronted. Keith bristled, ears flattening in anger. 

Raei shrugged. "Wae?"

"Coran told me of his pain at the hands of the Empire. He lost a son and trusted friend. My heart aches for him," she said softly. "I want us to help their cause."

Lance looked stricken, glancing at Coran. Coran nodded sadly, not meeting any of the Paladins' eyes. 

Raei, again, continued her brusque and nonchalant attitude. "Okay. Caern?"

"Red Paladin Keith is a reckless, fierce fighter. He told me about their battle against Zarkon, and their other adventures. He is loyal, impulsive, strong, and kind. I would fight for him without hesitation. I, the leader of Ruhuul, greatest archer on Nix, slayer of the Great Scooth, stand behind the Voltron cause!" he boomed. 

Keith blinked, and smiled at his new friend. He bowed slightly before speaking, to be polite in front of Raei. "Thank you, Caern."

"Hah!" he barked, slapping a big hand on Keith's back, knocking him forward. 

The Chief smiled. "That was cute. Okay. Moving on! Reesae, you're still a young and inexperienced leader. Speak with the interest of Nix in your heart, and nothing more," Raei cautioned. 

Reesae's lip quirked at the comment, a bit offended. "Chief, I am very pleased with the Paladins. They are fierce fighters, and their Blue Paladin is very lovely," he said, looking at Lance with a grin. 

Lance looked at Keith, and then looked back at Reesae with a leveled expression. 

Reesae paused for a moment before continuing. "As you have cautioned me, I also have a word of warning. They are all also young, and missing their Princess and Leader. We cannot know for certain how much wisdom and experience they actually posses. They may not have a clue what they're doing. I think it would be unwise to join them blindly."

It was hard to hear because it was true. Keith winced. 

"Reesae," Lance interrupted. "We have our Leader. He is right there, and his name is Keith. He may be impulsive and reckless, but he knows what he's doing, and will lead us to victory."

Pidge and Hunk nodded firmly. Keith blinked in surprise, but used his teammate's support to meet Reesae's gaze evenly. 

Chief Raei spoke sternly. "That stirred a lot of emotion in the Paladins, Reesae, but you do make a fair point." She flashed a quick look up and down Lance. "Please, Blue Paladin, do not interrupt my leaders."

Lance sputtered, but bowed apologetically. 

"Chief, I'm surprised they stayed quiet this long," Wae said. "Coran tells me they are a loyal group, and defend one another fiercely. I think that is the way of Earth, as well as Nix. I think this shows we will make formidable allies. We must restore the Universe's peace, and then move on."

Raei sighed. "I hate it when you all are right. Well, I wanted to enjoy my time at home before going on another mission, but I guess I have to keep my schedule open to fighting Empire enemies."

Keith looked at the Chief, hope fluttering in his stomach. 

In one swift motion, she stood, and slammed all four of her hands on the table in a proud declaration.

"Nix! Let's defeat the Empire, and help restore the Universe to its former glory!" she shouted. 

The leaders, except for Reesae and Lear, cheered, raising their numerous fists in the air. The band struck up a strong song, and the dancers moved and leaped. 

"That was...fast," Keith said in shock. 

Caern laughed. "I look forward to seeing you in battle, Red Paladin Keith!"

\---

The team told all of the Nixites goodbye. They let them know that they would call on them if needed, and that they would respond immediately to any requests for aid. A formal strategy would be discussed when Team Voltron massed it's entire alliance. 

Frai sniffled, saying it was a pleasure to be their guide, and they were happy to fight beside them. Caern gave Keith a bone-crushing hug, and told him he couldn't wait to see his fighting skills. Reesae apologized to Lance, telling him that he was still new, and he wasn't the best at understanding others' faults. Lance forgave him, giving him a friendly handshake before they left. Va hugged Pidge's leg, and then Pidge herself, and then Coran and Hunk. Wae gave Coran a little kiss on the cheek, causing his face to turn pink. 

Coran contacted Allura, pink still tinging his nose. "Princess, we have secured them as allies. We will be returning to the Castle shortly. How are things on your end?"

Allura's voice came through the coms on their ears. "That is great news. I have much to tell you when you get back. Please hurry."

She sounded stressed. Keith was worried about how saving Shiro was going. He quickened his pace as they left the light of the city of Lumiol. Keith's eyes began adjusting to the pitch black, glowing bright yellow.

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk began stumbling awkwardly. Pidge muttered something distinctly unladylike under her breath as she tripped. 

Keith turned to Lance, and held out his hand. "Here," he offered. 

Lance smiled, and grasped blindly for a moment, before grabbing his hand. Together, they led the other Paladins back to the Castle.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait! Thanks so much for reading you all! 
> 
> This is probably full of typos, I'm sorry, I'll edit it more thoroughly when I get back home, I'm so busy!


	20. Quickly Slowing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura revealed news to the team that fills them with hope and fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!

Keith swung his sword at the training gladiator. 

A flash of the Princess's face filled his mind. _I tried to rescue Shiro._

It dodged his attack, moving low. It slung its blade out at Keith's stomach, and he leaped over it. He tossed himself into a roll on the other side of the gladiator, whipping his bayard back up in front of himself defensively. He struck forward, thrusting his sword into the gladiator's left leg. It limped, but righted itself, kicking Keith with its useless leg. 

_There was...another Shiro there. I think it was some sort of entity that was made up of residual energy from Zarkon, and Shiro's own doubts and fears._

Keith grimaced as he quickly moved out of the way. He wasn't quite fast enough, and the gladiator struck his right arm. He snarled under his breath, frustrated. He focused, putting all the strength in his arm that he could. 

_It blocked my quintessence._

He lashed out, his blade embedding itself within the gladiator's thick chest piece. The robot shot bursts of electricity before falling down to the ground. 

_Shiro has to defeat this on his own? Hunk had asked._

_At the same time, Allura and Keith both said, "No."_

Keith panted, watching the fallen training gladiator fall through a hole that appeared in the floor. He thought about the earlier conversation as they left the Nixites. 

They had boarded the Castle of Lions, and lifted off, setting their course for the next planet Allura and Coran had carefully deemed a good choice for possible ally. Allura quickly sat the Paladins down to tell them about her training with quintessence. 

She had told them that she felt confident in her growing skills using it combatively. But trying to use it against whatever this force was in the Black Lion seemed out of her reach. 

"Start training, level four," Keith commanded to the room. He rubbed his sore arm, but didn't want to stop. It had been a few days since he last trained, and a few bruises weren't going to bother him. 

A gladiator rose from the floor. Its eyes were barely lit before it flung itself at Keith, marginally faster than the last robot. 

He reacted purely on instinct, tossing his body backwards in a one-handed flip. His form was off, and he threw himself too far sideways. He was able to reach his feet, but his balance wasn't completely there when the gladiator tried to strike again. Keith dodge low, regaining his footing. He whipped his bayard up, slicing at its head, but it moved back to avoid it. 

This gave Keith time to turn to it, and focus. He took a deep breath, and then lunged. He and the gladiator swapped punches, Keith leaning more toward the defensive side. 

He growled, getting frustrated. He felt his teeth sharpen in anger. He let himself get distracted, and when blocking a punch with his sword, he lost his balance again. The gladiator moved to strike him once more. 

This time, it aimed for his chest with a large, metal fist. 

Keith tried to dodge, and the robot struck between his shoulder and chest, sending him careening backwards into the wall. 

The gladiator advanced to him while he tried to get air back into his lungs. As the robot approached, Keith blinked, feeling like he was looking at one of his nightmares. Suddenly, the robot appeared to be the dark Shiro that had haunted Keith's dreams, with its terrible yellow eyes. 

Keith froze, dropping his bayard. "Shiro," he gasped. 

"End training sequence!" a voice called from far away. 

The robot went limp, and fell through the floor. 

Keith held a hand to his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat. He looked up to see Lance by the door. 

"Keith?" Lance asked, concerned. "Keith, what's the matter with you?"

Keith shook his head, trying not to lose control of himself. His legs were shaking underneath him. The vision had been so real. "You saw that?" he asked instead. 

"Kinda, yeah," Lance said. "You just froze up, I thought the gladiator was gonna hurt you."

"How long were you standing there?" Keith asked. His breath was coming steadier. 

Lance gave him an embarrassed smile, which was an expression Keith wasn't used to seeing on his face. "A little while."

Keith sighed and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall and letting himself fall down to the floor. He sat there for a moment before Lance walked over to him and sat beside him. 

"You know, I'm worried about Shiro too," Lance said. "Allura is finally resting after training almost non-stop for days. She's been working so hard, and still can't save him. I don't know what we're gonna do."

Keith looked over at Lance. "I have nightmares sometimes. About him, and the thing that's not him. I saw it when I tried communicating with the Black Lion, too. It looks just like him, and it's terrifying." Keith swallowed.

Lance hummed thoughtfully. "That's rough, buddy," he said after a pause. 

Keith narrowed his eyes at him.

Lance gave a small chuckle. "I am seriously sorry, I just tried to lighten the mood."

Keith rolled his eyes. 

"You're eyes were pretty weird," Lance said. "You lose your pupils every now and then. Like when you could see in the dark on Nix, and just now, when you were angry."

"Yeah, it happens," Keith said with a shrug, no longer surprised. "My teeth get sharper too. I keep cutting my lips and tongue."

"Seriously? And you haven't said anything?" Lance asked. 

"Why should I? I just have to work on controlling it still," Keith said, feeling a little embarrassed. 

Lance was thoughtful. "You know, we never did figure out how strong you are."

"What do you mean?"

"We figured out how far Galra you can go. But you should see how it affects your fighting ability," Lance said. 

"I don't want to do that," Keith said. His voice came out sounding a bit more defensive than he intended. 

"Why not?"

Zarkon's words from months ago echoed in his mind. _You fight like a Galra soldier._ "Because," he said, "I think if I try to fight like a Galra, it will do more harm than good."

"Try it once against that gladiator, and if you don't like it, we can stop," Lance tried. 

Keith reluctantly agreed. "Wanna fight it with me?" Keith asked. 

Lance smiled, and held up his bayard. "I guess that's fair. I did stop by here to train, after all."

Keith grinned at him, and then let himself change. He grew taller and sharper, with his skin turning the color of a dark bruise and his ears fanning out a bit. His vision grew more intensely yellow, the lights in the training room too bright. 

He flashed Lance a smile with pointed teeth, and Lance laughed, "Show off. I can't believe you still have a mullet as an alien."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Start training, level four," he stated. 

They moved to the center of the room. Keith had his bayard activated and held it ready. Lance moved to the side, spreading out from Keith to cover more area. 

The gladiator appeared, and lunged for Keith, who was closer. 

Keith swung his sword. To his immediate embarrassment, missed the robot completely, the strength of his arm sending his bayard through the air with ease, too quickly. _Oops._

Luckily, Lance had his back. He shot the gladiator three times, but they were built to withstand several blasts. It was stunned, and Keith took the opportunity to swing his blade again. 

It collided with the robot with enough force to send it to the floor. It wasn't nonfunctional yet, but it did have a nasty slice in its side. 

The gladiator turned to Lance. It rushed him, but he kept his cool. Lance shot a few times as it approached, and then used his blaster to whack the robot on its head. Lance pulled up his shield from his Paladin armor, and blocked the resulting blow from the robot. 

Keith was curious now about his strength. He sauntered up behind the robot and pulled it away from Lance by the joint in its neck. He was nearly as tall as it. 

The gladiator spun, and tried to defend itself. Keith slammed a fist into its chest, feeling satisfaction as the drone fell to the floor in the same way he had himself earlier. 

Keith laughed, surprising himself with his strength. 

Lance looked at him with wide eyes. "That didn't even hurt your hand?" he asked incredulously. 

The gladiator was still moving. It was sluggish, but it lurched forward, going for Lance again. It lashed out, and Lance ducked and rolled under the attack. He shot his bayard at the robot's legs, and it fell to its knees. 

Keith used his sword to finally end the training session, plunging it straight into the robot's chest piece. 

"That was... a lot easier that I thought it would be," he admitted.

"It looked like it. That was pretty cool, Keith," Lance complimented him. 

A month ago, Lance complimenting Keith would've been ridiculous. But after all they've been dealing with, it did seem they were a bit closer. _It feels nice,_ he admitted to himself. 

He shrank back down to his normal height and features, now shorter than Lance. His stomach growled immediately, and he felt a little light-headed. He put a hand to his head. "Okay, I take that back, it's not quite as easy as I thought," Keith said.

Lance laughed.

"Thanks, Lance," Keith said, turning to him. "I wish you could help Shiro like you've helped me."

Lance nodded, and opened his mouth to speak. But he paused, and his expression changed. "Keith, wait, I have an idea."

Keith looked at him, curious. "What?"

"You've piloted the Black Lion before, right?" 

"Yeah, to save Shiro once."

"What if you piloted the Black Lion while Allura tried to use her quintessence to help Shiro?" Lance burst. 

"What do you mean?" he asked. 

"I mean, if you're piloting, you're using your quintessence a little. I mean, you're not going to be able to manipulate it like Allura can, but maybe it would still be enough to at least distract the bad energy Shiro," Lance said, growing animated.

Keith felt hope flicker in his empty stomach. "Do you think that would work?" 

"I don't know, but let's go try!"

\---

Allura looked thoughtful, standing in her doorway. She was in a sleeping gown, with her hair wild and loose. 

"I suppose it's worth a try," she said slowly. "I'm nervous to confront this darkness again, though."

"Lance thinks I may be able to help it not be as dangerous," Keith assured her. He'd snuck a snack bar from the kitchen as they had ran to her rooms, and he felt a lot better. He just hoped this would work. He trusted Lance's ideas.

Allura glanced at Lance, for once looking at him closely, and taking him seriously. "Alright. Let me get changed."

\---

Pidge bit her lip, and Hunk folded his hands nervously together. 

"Are you sure about this, guys?" Hunk asked. 

They were standing in the large Black Lion hangar. Their footsteps echoed and bounced around the room. The Lion looked over all of them, her face downcast. 

Keith looked at Lance, and nodded. "We're sure," he said confidently. "We have to try."

Lance grabbed Keith's arm. "You can do this," he encouraged. He gave Keith a shy smile. 

Keith felt his stomach do a strange flip. _I must be nervous,_ he thought. 

Allura looked to him. She was completely suited up and determined. He nodded to her.

They stepped forward together to the Black Lion.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for yet another cliff-hanger, but I promise I'll make it up to you in the next chapter!


	21. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's so much all at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! But is it the end?

The Black Lion seemed to have been waiting for them to be ready this whole time. Without hesitating, she lowered her head to Keith and Allura. 

They stepped into the control room together. 

It looked the same as it had after the battle with Zarkon. The chair was dark and empty, and the lights were dim. 

Allura turned to Keith. "We're going to save him," she whispered. He wasn't entirely sure if she was telling him or herself. The silence was so thick, even her soft voice seemed to echo. 

Keith sat in the pilot's chair and grabbed the controls. He closed his eyes, and the Black Lion stood. 

He could feel the slight pull of her, a fainter version of his own link with Red. He felt her urge him to leave the Castle.

"Princess," he said, "the Lion wants us to go now. Are you ready?"

"Yes." Allura took a deep breath. She placed a hand on a flat panel of the controls. Her hand began to glow a light pink. 

The Black Lion's hangar doors opened, and the Lion roared as she turned and ran out into space. Keith was guiding her, but the Lion didn't seem to care where they went. They were in the vast emptiness of the Universe, with only the Castle of Lions nearby. 

Allura's form began to radiate little spots of light, illuminating the cabin with warm pinks. 

"Allura?" Keith asked. 

Her face furrowed in concentration. "Keith, I need your help. Focus your energy on saving Shiro. He's..." She trailed off, her body tensing. 

"On it," Keith said quickly. He closed his eyes. He tried to recreate the exercise they'd attempted on Erus, to see through the Black Lion's eyes. He hadn't even been able to do it with Red successfully yet, and Black wasn't exactly the friendliest Lion. 

_Stop doubting and just do it._

He took a deep breath. "Patience yields focus," he murmured aloud. 

_Shiro, get rid of that bad energy from Zarkon. It's not you, and you don't need to be afraid anymore. You are strong. You can fight it._ He thought this fiercely, trying to project his thoughts into the Lion to Shiro. 

The Lion growled. Allura gasped. 

Keith's vision suddenly filled with the dark colors he now associated with the astral plane within Black. Stars dimly lit the space with red and blue hues, giving everything a deep purple tone. 

He saw a bright figure made of pink light. Allura was glowing, her hands full of orbs of energy. Her quintessence shone, and she threw an orb. 

Only when she threw it did Keith see the other figure with them in the plane. It was the Shiro with yellow eyes. He laughed, and stepped out of the way of the energy easily. Keith could tell Allura was staying as far away from him as possible. 

"Allura," he called, but his voice sounded like he was underwater. He couldn't feel his body either, though he could move forward to her. 

She glanced over at Keith, and Shiro lunged. 

He struck so quickly that neither of them had time to react. He punched Allura swiftly in the stomach, sending her backwards through the air with a cry. 

Keith moved as quickly as he was able to stand between them as she fell. He tried to growl at the entity, but it sounded far away. He didn't have a bayard or quintessence to fight with.

Shiro laughed his awful, twisted version of the true Shiro's laugh. "Is that you, Keith? You've finally come to help me!"

"I've come to help Shiro," he spat at it with as much venom as he could. 

"With what? Your _instinct_ and _speed_?" it sneered. "You can't fight me here. You don't even have the power Allura has. You can barely keep your meager presence here!"

Allura grunted from the ground behind Keith. She started to stand, but she'd had the wind knocked out of her, and seemed dazed. 

"And how are you going to stop us?" Keith countered. "We're not alone. We're fighting with Shiro. What are you fighting with? Zarkon's old energy? He's gone! You have nothing."

The dark Shiro paused, its face twisting into an annoyed snarl. "Zarkon pulled the Black Lion into the darkness with him with his last breath. How can a force that powerful be denied?" 

"Like this!" Keith cried. And he put all he had into attacking the evil Shiro. He struck out with limbs that were only silhouettes of his physical ones, glowing a faint red. They mostly passed through Shiro, flowing like water. But when he tried to hold an arm up defensively, Keith could pass right through it to his face. 

Keith wasn't doing any damage to the dark energy, but he was distracting it. He smirked at it. 

Allura stood fully, and charged from behind him. With Keith to occupy its hands, it didn't get the chance to block her before she struck him with her quintessence in a powerful kick. She grimaced, knowing she could be hurting Shiro as well. 

"Shiro!" Keith called. "It's all you now, you've got to face this!" 

"This is not you," Allura said, looking with disgust at the false Shiro as it rubbed a hand at its bruised jaw line. She threw a successive array of punches and quintessence, not giving it the chance to recover. "You need to separate yourself from this," she grunted between hits.

A figure began to come into focus. The purple tones of the astral plane seemed to be coming together, forming broad shoulders and tall features. Shiro's energy began to coalesce, coming together to form him in his Black Paladin armor, glowing. His eyes were their natural, dark color.

Allura cried out, putting a hand to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. "Shiro--"

 _"No!"_ the dark entity by Keith howled. Keith slammed his form into it, keeping it in front of him. In the same way that it blocked Allura's quintessence, Keith could keep it from moving easily. 

"Allura? Keith?" Shiro called from far off. He sounded so confused and scared. 

"It's us, Shiro!" Keith roared, throwing all he had at the monster in front of him that had held Shiro for all these weeks. 

Keith felt weak and tired. He was reaching his limit. He didn't know how quintessence worked at all, but he felt drained, and his astral figure was moving slowly. The slight red glow was fading. 

"Allura," he said sharply. 

Thankfully, she understood. She ran to the real Shiro. She embraced him tightly. 

_"No!"_ the dark Shiro cried again. He broke past Keith's defenses, and sprinted for Allura and Shiro. 

Allura glared at the energy. Her body's pink glow brightened, shining bright white, illuminating the astral plane. The glow encased the real Shiro at her side, and with a flash, they disappeared from the plane. 

Keith smiled faintly. 

" _You_ ," the darkness snarled at him, whipping around at inhuman speeds. It lunged for him, and Keith didn't bother putting up a fight. 

He was so tired. 

It grabbed at Keith's flickering form. "No matter what you do, I will never entirely leave the Black Lion. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Keith felt a bit like he was being choked, and his head started to swim. "Those are the words--" he gasped, "--of a fallen enemy. You're--no longer a threat. You're not--strong at all." 

"Keith!" he heard someone dimly call his name. 

_How do I get out of here?_ he tried to think, but his vision was fading, and his thoughts were sluggish. 

"Strong enough to get rid of you," it said. 

"If that's what it takes--to save Shiro," Keith murmured. He felt almost peaceful as he faded, knowing he had helped Allura get Shiro out of the astral plane. 

"Keith! Please!" the voice called again. 

_Lance?_

"Keith!" 

"Lance!" Keith cried. He came to himself in a rush, knowing that he couldn't disappear in this plane, or Lance would kill him. 

He growled at the energy, and he felt himself focus. The dark Shiro's grip on him slackened. It tried to throw a punch, but it passed through him. It couldn't reach him anymore. Keith felt himself leaving the plane, following the sound of Lance's cries.

The hatred in its glowing yellow eyes was the last thing Keith saw. 

\---

"Keith! You mullet haired, hot-headed, show-off jerk! You better open your eyes!" Lance yelled. 

Blearily, Keith did. "Lance?" he whispered weakly. His voice was hoarse, and his throat was sore. He realized with a start that he was in the Black Lion hangar, in Lance's long arms.

Lance looked down at him, eyes sparkling. Keith was laying in his lap on the floor, supported by his arms. He pulled Keith up to him, squeezing him tightly. Keith felt stunned. 

_Was Lance that worried about me?_

"Shiro?" Keith asked him. 

Lance lowered his arms, and nodded at Keith with a smile, tears freely flowing down his cheeks. "You and Allura saved him," he whispered. 

He looked over to them. Shiro--actual, flesh and blood Shiro was leaning by an arm on Allura's shoulders. Pidge leaped up onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Hunk wrapped all three of them in his big, strong arms. Coran and Slav looked on with happy tears in their eyes.

Keith felt himself relax completely for the first time in weeks. He closed his eyes with a content sigh, tears rebelliously leaking out from under his lids. 

"Hey, stay with me," Lance said, concerned. 

"I'm fine," Keith promised him. He didn't open his eyes as Lance pulled him in for another tight embrace. "What happened?" 

"Allura said she had pulled Shiro out. He is really dazed and confused, but alright. But when they were in the Black Lion's cockpit, you were still unconscious. I thought it would help if we carried you out of it, to break off the connection to whatever was inside it," Lance said. 

"Wait," Keith said, opening his eyes, "you..."

"I cradled you in my arms," Lance said, looking down at him.

Keith burst out laughing. He couldn't contain it. He couldn't believe it. His tears continued to flow, and his throat was hoarse, making him cough, which also hurt. But he couldn't stop. 

"What?" Lance asked. 

"Nothing, nothing," he laughed. And he grabbed Lance and held him tighter. 

Keith's been impulsive his entire life. When his gut tells him to do something, he usually follows it without questioning it. So when he looked at Lance's happy, shining, and confused eyes, he didn't stop himself from reaching up to kiss him. 

"You two seem to have gotten closer," Shiro's voice commented from behind them. 

Keith turned away from Lance's surprised face with heat warming his cheeks. He looked up at Shiro.

Shiro jumped away from him, stumbling backwards as Allura tried to steady him. 

Keith looked at his stricken expression with dread. He felt Lance's hands grip him tightly. "Shiro, what's--" he started to ask. _My eyes,_ he realized in panic. He covered his face with his hands. "Shiro, it's me, I'm sorry--"

"Keith has grown a lot since you were gone," Allura surprised Keith by explaining gently. "It's alright, he's just himself now."

"It just surprised me, is all," Shiro said, voice still sounding a bit shaken. "Keith, I'm sorry."

Keith slowly took his hands away from his face, fighting every urge to return his appearance to human. He worried that would only frighten Shiro more. Lance helped him up to his feet. 

For a tense moment, no one moved. 

And then Shiro reached forward and pulled Keith in for a warm hug. "Thank you for saving me, Keith," he whispered. 

Keith's tears were falling fast again. "Anytime," he said. "But please, not soon."

Shiro laughed gently. It was a beautiful and welcome sound after hearing the dark entity's terrible cackle. 

"I'll try my best not to get trapped in any more astral voids," Shiro joked. 

They broke apart, and Shiro fully took in his appearance. "So this is...?"

"Yeah," Keith said shyly. "This is the real me. And, um--" He broke off. He changed his appearance to his old human one. "I can change it. I was awakened to it after the Trial of Marmora."

Shiro looked at him in astonishment as he changed back to his half-Galra, half-human self. "The Trial? Why didn't you tell me?"

He bit his lip guiltily. "I didn't understand it yet. And then you disappeared..." he trailed off. He looked at Lance. "Lance and Coran helped me figure it out." 

Lance shot Keith a finger gun with his suave grin. Shiro laughed and scooped him up into his arms as well, being the last person in the room to greet him. 

"I'm glad you're back, Shiro," Lance said, this voice thick. 

"It's good to be back," he agreed. 

Keith went to Allura. Her tears hadn't stopped, but she was quiet and smiling. "Are you okay?" Keith asked her. 

She nodded, and looked at him gently. She pulled him into a quick hug. 

"Without you, I don't think I would've known how to save him," she said. "Thank you, Keith."

She paused for a breath, and then looked at him knowingly. Her face lit up. "So you and Lance! The mice have been telling me for months that Lance has been--"

"Allura!" Lance cried out from Shiro's arms, embarrassed. Shiro and Allura laughed. 

Lance walked back over to Keith. "I may have told the mice in _confidence_ that _sometimes_ you aren't _that_ annoying," he told Keith tightly. 

Keith laughed. "You know they love to gossip almost as much as Allura does."

"What was that?" Pidge asked. She, Hunk, and Coran walked over to them. 

Slav burst out into a run, and barrelled into Shiro, wrapping around him like a crying scarf. Shiro's eyebrow might've twitched as he patted Slav's back. 

"Lance and I had another bonding moment," Keith said. 

"Another? You know I don't--" Lance started. 

Keith cut him off with a quick kiss. His frozen, startled expression was priceless. 

"Gross," Pidge said.

"YOU GUYS!" Hunk bellowed out with joy. He lifted the pair of him up in his arms in a crushing hug. "LANCE, YOU TOLD ME YOU LIKED HIM AND I WAS REALLY SCARED BECAUSE KEITH IS SCARY AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF HE HAD EMOTIONS BUT HE DOES AND HE LIKES YOU TOO AND I'M JUST SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS--" 

"Hunk, buddy, air," Lance wheezed. 

"Sorry!" he yelped, dropping them to the floor. 

Keith gasped, rubbing at his sore throat with a weak smile. "Thanks, Hunk."

Coran put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Nice job, Lance. And fantastic work, Number 4." Though he sounded normal, his eyes were wetter than usual, too.

"Why do you call Lance by his name?" Pidge muttered quietly. Keith shared a silent shrug and eye roll with her. 

Shiro finally pried Slav off of himself. He turned around to look up at the Black Lion. He looked at Allura, exhausted. 

"I think resting would be a good idea," Allura said. She offered an arm to him, but he shook his head, grabbing her hand instead. Her cheeks reddened slightly. 

The Team began to leave the Black Lion's hangar. 

Keith leaned on Lance, still unsure of his ability to walk. Lance let them fall behind just a bit, and Keith figured the Team let that happen on purpose as well. 

"I was really scared when you wouldn't wake up," Lance admitted quietly to him. "I, uh, kinda care about you, Keith. A lot."

Keith laughed softly. "I think I feel the same, Lance. You've always been there, and I've been really oblivious to it until now. You helped me come back, did you know that?"

"I did?" Lance asked. 

"I heard you calling my name. I followed it out of the Lion," Keith said. He didn't mention the look of hatred and anger in the dark Shiro's terrifying eyes. 

"Guess I am useful, then?" Lance said. 

"I don't think I could ever thank you enough for all you've helped me with Lance," Keith said.

They walked together like that back to their rooms. 

They reached their doors, and Keith hesitated. "I'm tired, but..." he trailed off. 

"But what?" Lance asked. 

"I'm afraid of a nightmare," he admitted finally. "I don't want to see..." 

Lance nodded. "Well, I'm not tired yet. Would you like it if I sat in your room with you?" 

Keith felt his cheeks warming, and wondered if the purple tones of his skin hid the blush. "That would be really nice." 

Lance helped him to his room, though Keith felt enough strength in his limbs he could probably walk just fine if he wanted to. Lance helped him lay on the bed, and then sat on the floor beside him. 

Keith fell asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. His dream was filled with the color blue. 

\---

Coran's voice over the intercom roused him from sleep. 

"Paladins! I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep, but we may have found something important."

Keith and Lance looked at each other. 

"There's not a moment of peace in space, is there?" Lance asked Keith. 

"Apparently not."

\---

All five Paladins stood in the control room of the Castle of Lions. However, it wasn't like it had been before, with four Paladins only looking up to one leader. They were a closer team that trusted each other to lead when necessary. Keith and Lance stood tall together. Pidge walked on her leg confidently. Hunk patted a hand on Shiro's shoulder, smiling with his warm and comforting eyes. 

Allura was in her pajamas, having needed a deep sleep after using all her energy to save Shiro. She had bags under her eyes, but smiled at Shiro when he met her eyes. 

Coran was animated, talking with his hands. "Well, with Shiro back I went about giving the Castle a good check-up as I've been neglecting if for some time now. I monitored all of the scanners, and noticed something. We have apparently been keeping tabs on that sensor Keith and Lance put on Kuron, the mining planet where you all saw--" he cleared his throat, looking uncomfortably at Allura, "the Galra Prince."

"The what?" Shiro asked. 

Keith quickly filled Shiro in. Coran looked impatient, still bouncing around. 

"So what has the sensor been picking up?" Pidge asked. 

Coran looked at her carefully. "It seems to have detected a human on the planet."

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course that wasn't the end! Don't worry, you'll like what's coming up. There are only 4 more chapters left!


	22. Positions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team calls upon their newfound allies and makes a plan to return to Kuron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, I am so excited to write this chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

"Human?" Pidge asked. She moved forward, as if wanting to sprint to Kuron herself. "What do they look like? Do we have a video feed?"

Coran nodded, and pulled up a screen in the air in front of him. A flicker of Altean lines crossed as he typed, before an image appeared. There were all manner of creatures in patchy uniforms. They looked dusty and grim. There were a wide array of types, too many for Keith to recognize the species. Except for one. 

"They're prisoners, right? That's what you said last time, that it was a labor imprisonment?" Hunk asked as gently as he could, but Keith noticed Hunk's hands were clenched into tight fists. He was just talking to fill the silence.

Keith recognized the human from the Garrison. He had been a professor, and then had been the commander of the Kerberos mission. 

"Dad," Pidge whispered.

"Holt," Shiro choked out. "Sam." 

Sam Holt held an ax in his hand, and chipped away at a rock. They were in a cavern, near an entrance that the drone could sense from, other aliens spread out around him, mining with him. A large Galra watched them, barking out an order every now and then. 

"Better here than the gladiator pits," they spat. "You all wouldn't have lasted a minute. Be grateful that your new leader let you stay here."

Keith snarled, and felt his teeth sharpening. He knew this injustice was happening all over the universe, but seeing it filled him with renewed rage. He felt a growl build low in his throat, surprising himself. Lance placed a soft hand on his shoulder. The others didn't seem to notice. 

Shiro was backing away from the feed, murmuring Sam's name with dread. "I'm sorry, Sam," he said. He looked at Pidge. 

Pidge was pacing, her eyes not able to leave the screen. Keith could practically see her mind moving, thinking. But tears were filling her eyes. 

Shiro grabbed her, stopping her mid-step. He hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Katie," he gasped. "But we're going to save him."

Hunk put his hands together. "Do you have a plan, Shiro? They're prisoners. This isn't like the Balmera, where their labor was raised to believe there was no other way to live. We were able to take them mostly by surprise, and even then it wasn't easy. This labor planet is going to be full of guards and traps to keep those innocent people here." 

"Hunk is right," Allura said. She scooped up the mice and put them on her shoulders. "We were going to try to free these prisoners to use them as allies. Before Keith and Lance could get all of our scanners onto Kuron, they were ambushed by the Prince of the Empire. I'm sure he knows what they were planning. He is cunning, and reads his enemies very well."

"But we have allies now," Lance pointed out. "We have the Olkari, the Blades, and the Nixites all willing to fight on our side. Would they be enough?"

Allura bit her lip. "I'm not sure."

"Slav and I have updated the Castle's defenses quite a lot in the fast few weeks. That should also be able to help from above," Coran said. "And Princess, I'll have you know I have confidence in our ability to someday destroy that arrogant, conceited, and selfish _Prince_!" He spat this with a venom to his voice. Judging by his protectiveness, he must have watched Allura go through her heartbreak over ten thousand years ago.

"We might be able to do this," Allura considered, tapping her chin. 

Shiro finally let go of Pidge. "It feels like I left one nightmare to wake up to another one," he admitted softly to her. 

Allura glanced at him, and nodded to herself. "Lance!" she said. 

"Yeah?" 

"Come up with a strategy to save Pidge's father and the other prisoners," she commanded.

"Me?" Lance asked, pointing dumbly to himself. 

"You're our best strategist," Keith blurted. "You can do it." He didn't mean to say it with such an adoring tone, but looking at Lance's confused face made his stomach flutter. _It's going to be weird getting used to this._

Lance looked at Keith, his cheeks reddening. Hunk elbowed Pidge's rib, and got a tiny smile from her lips. 

Allura looked knowingly at the mice on her shoulders, and then at Lance. "Exactly. We have faith in you, Lance."

Lance put a hand on his mouth. His brow furrowed with concentration. "Coran, could I see a map of Kuron?" 

\---

Allura slumped forward, exhausted from having to open so many wormholes. To allow the Olkari and Nixites to meet them near Kuron had taken a lot out of her. The teleduv had been improved to be more efficient, so she wasn't entirely drained. But it was still a relief that the Blade of Marmora had their own wormhole technology to get them there. 

Shiro was beside her. Even though it had only been a few dobaches since they rescued him, it was hard for her to imagine him _not_ beside her. She had always felt his presence, even if it had been distant and dim. 

"Do you need to rest first, Princess?" he asked her. 

She immediately straightened her back and shook her head. "I'm fine."

He smiled at her. "I missed you, Princess."

She rolled her eyes teasingly, but she knew he could read her underlying expressions with ease. She grabbed his hand. "I just hope we can help Pidge save her father, and then focus on gaining more allies. I need a break from fighting."

"We'll get her father, Princess, don't worry," Shiro comforted her. "Lance's plan is solid. And once Kolivan, Ryner, and Raei all added their says, the details came together. I'm surprised such a strategy came from him."

Allura waved a hand at him. "Don't be. Apparently Lance has quite the mind on his shoulders." She smiled at him.

"And he and Keith have been getting closer while I was gone, I guess?" Shiro asked. 

"Coran told me that Keith had a lot of trouble controlling his new abilities. He was very scared," Allura said softly. "I think Lance helped him a lot through that."

Shiro nodded thoughtfully. "I'm still a little scared of it myself," he admitted. "Just--the eyes." He shuddered.

"Well, we'll work on that," Allura said. "I still have to train my mind to not automatically treat him differently than the other Paladins, though it has gotten easier."

"Princess!" Hunk called as he entered the control room. "Our allies are ready and in position."

Allura nodded. "Alright, Paladins, get to your Lions!"

\---

Kuron wasn't a very large planet. Its moon was even smaller than Earth's, and wasn't enough cover for more than one Lion. Lance said that meant that a complete sneak attack wasn't an option. 

"We do have the Green Lion's cloaking ability, and Red's agility," Lance had said. "Our first priority is Sam Holt, the human."

"Why is this human important?" Kolivan had asked with his cold objectivity.

"Because he's--" Pidge had began.

"He's a valued Earth commander and leader. He has value in his astrozoological knowledge and piloting experience. He would make a good asset for Team Voltron," Lance had said, interrupting her. He nudged her gently. "He is also Pidge's father, and you've seen how brilliant she is. She is very like her father."

Kolivan had nodded sharply.

Lance had continued. "The Green Lion will fly down invisibly with the Red Lion giving her cover. Keith, you will also be a distraction because they will hopefully not notice Pidge. You will probably have to dodge a lot of heavy fire. Is that okay?"

Keith had agreed. And now that he was in space, flying in orbit around Kuron, he felt himself rising to the challenge. 

_After the plans had been made in the control room of the Castle of Lions, Keith had approached Kolivan. Kolivan showed no surprise at his figure, only commenting, "Your Galra relative must've been of ancient blood."_

_"I want to know more about my heritage," Keith had told him. "I want to know how I've managed to hide this side of me from myself all these years through fear. I want to know why the Trial activated it in me, whether it was through my knife activating or being cut by a Blade. And I want to know how to control it better. But I don't want to learn it through a Trial."_

_"There is a lot you do not know, it seems," Kolivan had stated. "And in time we may help you learn more after you prove yourself in other ways."_

_Keith had nodded. "But I will figure out the truth."_

_He had extended his hand out to Kolivan. Kolivan grasped it and shook it firmly._

Keith felt like the Blades would be observing him closely as they rescued Sam Holt as a team. But right now, he didn't really care what they thought of him. Galaxies and stars in the far distance glowed dimly. Kuron loomed in front of them, and the Green Lion shimmered into a clear, slightly distorted image of the space behind her. 

The flew past its moon. They were following the little beacon on their screen from where the scanner was picking up life. It still read that a human was nearby, and they set a glowing pink dot to indicate Sam. 

The Blue Lion wasn't too far behind Keith, being the extra cover for him and Pidge if necessary. He hung back, to be able to assist the other rescue teams. He would be where he was needed. 

He and Keith had shared a quick kiss before heading to their Lions. Keith had wanted to say something, but couldn't come up with anything special enough. 

He put a hand to his lips now, and felt a little knot of fear for Lance settle in his stomach. Though he felt fear for all of his teammates and allies, Lance was at the front of his mind. 

As if he could read his mind, Lance opened a private channel on the coms to Keith. 

"Hey, Keith," he said, wearing that expression unique only to Lance. It was full of happiness, concern, confidence, and worry all rolled into one. 

"Hey, Lance," Keith answered. 

"Trust your gut today, okay?" Lance said lamely. 

Keith gave a little chuckle. "I usually do. Will you back me up with your sharpshooter skills?"

"Of course," Lance bragged with his flirty voice and a wink. Knowing the flirt was meant for Keith made him roll his eyes in a new way. 

Keith flicked the coms off with a little wave before they got too close to the planet. It was time to focus. 

A large Nixite ship soared next to the Red Lion, glowing with its strange luminous green lights. Keith smiled, knowing his friend Caern was piloting that one. He'd insisted on fighting with Keith in this battle. 

The other Nixite forces were scattered throughout their formations. As Keith's was meant to be the smaller, sneakier group, they were made up only of the Green and Red Lions and Caern's ship. 

The main distraction force had the Black and Yellow Lions, as well as a majority of the Nixite and Blade fighters. Other groups meant for rescuing the prisoners were mostly Olkari ships and more spacious crafts to allow space for all the people. 

Keith saw a flash of purple in the corner of his eye.

He turned behind him and saw that the large, fighting group had finally grown close enough to attack. Galra ships began to advance toward them, firing lasers at Team Voltron. 

Keith knew this meant that they would only have seconds before someone noticed Red and Caern's ship. Pidge kicked up her speed, and the Nixite and Keith matched it, flanking her sides. 

Keith's mind flashed to the last time he'd fought by Pidge's side.

_"Keith!" she'd cried as Lorkux's ship blasted her Lion, crushing her legs._

_Focus,_ he told himself. He took a few steadying breaths, following his instincts as he dodge stray beams that flew their direction. 

A few ships began to inch their way. Finally, an array of blasts flew towards them. They had finally spotted Keith and Caern. 

Keith smirked, ready to fight. It's been a long time since all the Paladins were together. He was ready to put an end to the remaining forces of the terrible empire. 

Red roared, and turned around to cover Pidge. Caern moved beside him, firing his own bright green lasers. He turned on a communication feed to Keith. 

"Red Paladin Keith, this is where the fun begins!" Caern boomed. "Watch the _frunaes_ to your right! I've got the left!" 

Keith nodded, smiling at his friend. 

The Red Lion released a large widespread barrage as soon as Keith had the thought in his head. There were about twenty of the little sentry crafts flying at them. Red easily removed half of them. She growled impatiently, wanting to as excited by the challenge as Keith. 

Caern's ship shot rapidly at the other advance, and soon they were back to trailing Pidge. They knew that wouldn't be all of them, but Pidge still let out a small sigh of relief over the coms. 

"Thanks guys," she said. 

"Let's save your father, Green Paladin Pidge!" Caern rumbled. 

The descended quickly to the surface of the planet, taking out a few stray sentry ships on the way. 

"Shiro, we've reached the atmosphere," Keith reported. 

"Good. We are still fighting their larger forces on this side. Lorkux, the general you all faced, has been stationed here," Shiro said bitterly. "The scanner doesn't reach that far, so we didn't know there would be this large of a fleet here."

"Do you need help?" Keith asked. 

"No, we're fine right now--" he grunted as a blast hit Black, "--but I'll let you know if things get worse," Shiro said. 

"Understood," Keith said. "Lance? How are you and the others doing?"

"We're under almost no fire," Lance said, and Keith could hear the cocky grin in his voice. "We've almost reached the first access point."

"Alright, keep yourself watchful, don't get too comfortable," Keith cautioned. 

"Yes, sir!" Lance laughed. 

"Lance," Shiro said flatly. 

"Yes, sir," Lance said, sounding chastised and serious.

"Nearing the second access point," Pidge announced as they reached an open expanse of metal buildings.

The planet of Kuron was bright and cold. What appeared to be snow was scattered along every surface, shimmering an odd orange tone. Keith shivered, his breath puffing out in front of him before his suit adjusted itself to accommodate for the temperature. 

There was what appeared to be an industrial-styled array of structures. Made with crude iron and stark shapes, it gave off the image of a huge expanse of factory and refinery. There were small streams flowing between some of the buildings, with the orange tints that Keith now guessed were affluents. 

The small pink dot was sharpening now that they were closer, and their own Lions' scanners could pick it up. 

"Dad, we're almost there," Pidge whispered. 

The Green Lion touched down just as her cloaking faded. Had it really only been five minutes?

Keith and Caern remained in the air, flying low, to give the impression that they were still heading to another location. They encountered a few ships, but it seemed most of the force was attacking the larger distraction group on the other side of the horizon. 

"I'm out of Green, and headed into the second access point," Pidge reported. 

This was Keith and Caern's cue to turn around and follow her in. They'd given her enough time to distract other sentries, and would now sneak in with her. 

They landed beside the Green Lion on a patch of concrete that could have been a parking lot of some sort. The Red Lion's particle barrier materialized as soon as Keith's feet hit the ground. Caern's craft had a similar field form around it as he jumped down, with a handful of other beefy Nixites. 

Keith's suit readings noted that it was cold enough for him to lapse into hypothermia without protection, but the Nixites didn't seem bothered. Apparently the city of Ruhuul where Caern lived would have winters that would get even colder than this.

The gravity was also significantly less compared to the ship's or even Earths. Keith had an idea. He adjusted his form, trusting his instincts. His body changed so the gravity wouldn't affect his movements as much, becoming a bit taller and bulkier, his Paladin armor accommodating. He surprised himself with this ability. His vision blurred a bit yellower, and then focused. His ears twitched in his helmet. He smiled at Caern.

"Nice trick, Keith," he commented. "Let's go!"

They ran into the huge building that loomed in front of them, following the green and pink dots on their maps. 

\---

Lotor paced, restless, like a lithe animal in a cage. 

"What do those humans call them? Bears?" he wondered aloud. One of his guards shrugged, utterly useless and confused, and Lotor rolled his bright eyes.

He'd been obsessed with his new targets. He'd investigated their biology and origin. They were from Earth, with a mixture of another heritage on the Red Paladin's part. He had begun to send out scanners to the so called "Blue Planet," trying to understand their culture. 

What he had found irritated and intrigued him. 

"Why bother with so many languages?" he grumbled as he tried to pull up a category of other species that inhabited the planet. "And cultures? Who needs more than one or maybe two? That is a bit excessive. Almost as excessive as an extensive amount of wildlife."

It was frustrating, like he remembered Altea being. But that is a rant for another time.

" _Tigers!_ " he said with excitement as the screen finally flicked to the image of the large cat after going through several other images he had collected. "I feel like a _tiger_ in a cage," he said, savoring the word on his tongue. 

He ran a hand through his long hair. "Do you think the Red and Blue Paladins like tigers?" Lotor asked aloud. 

His guards didn't bother responding to him this time. They were more for looks than brains or protection, anyway. 

"I can't wait to see them again," he purred, excitement filling his chest. They would be so strong, and he couldn't wait. It's been over ten thousand years since anyone was a challenge to him. 

Someone knocked politely on his door, and one of his tipped ears pricked at the light sound. It was definitely a messenger, the knock was so frantic and small. He turned around, mouth curling over pointed teeth. 

A guard opened the door to reveal the form of the small child. Their ears were proportionally too big for their body, as they had yet to grow into them fully. They looked nervous as they held up a small note card.

"Child," Lotor said smoothly. "Read the note aloud, please."

The little messenger swallowed, and said in a tiny voice, "General Lorkux stationed on planet Kuron of the Meridian System has alerted us that he is under attack by the Paladins and allies of Voltron, your grace."

Lotor bent to a knee, and took the child's hands in his. "Thank you for telling me." He dismissed the child with a wave.

He may be terrible to adults, but he would never be rude to a child. That was his only restriction. 

His grin widened as he stood. He was thankful he punished General Lorkux for meekly attempting to usurp the Galran throne, after the fool had called himself the next emperor. He had forced him to remain on the planet he last saw the Voltron Paladins, and he had thanked him, falling to his knees with a miserable, " _Vrepit sa,_ your grace." 

Lotor laughed harshly at the thought.

He skipped over to his armory adjacent to his greeting room. Being back in the palace was tedious after so many years away, having multiple rooms for everything. But even thinking about the reasons he'd been away from home for so long didn't dampen his spirits. 

"Get my fleet ready," Lotor commanded his guards in a sing-song voice. He began to slip on his favorite armor, and surveyed his weapons for the best ones. "Tell them they must hurry. We will be warping to the Meridian System in a few ticks!" 

He grabbed a sword, his elegant gun, and his spear. And with a slightly impulsive decision, he slipped a little gleaming knife on his belt as well. 

"Oh, Paladins, I hope you did as I asked," he cooed, thinking of their faces, angry and defiant toward him. "I hope you're strong enough to put up a fight. This time, I will not let you go."

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My own note: Ryner is the leader of the Olkari, I'm just letting you know because I had to look it up myself!


	23. Circles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle to save Sam Holt and the prisoners of Kuron goes into full effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some violence and blood mentions in this chapter, of course. 
> 
> Thanks for waiting so patiently! I'm so glad to finally be done with finals. This was such a relief to write, I hope you enjoy it!

The sound of Pidge's hoverbike echoed throughout the building. As Caern and Keith's group followed, they took in the structure. It was a metal refinery, attached directly to the large caveside wall where the metal was mined. On the distant side of the factory they could see rock at the edge of the dim, purple lighting. 

There were large forges and tanks of water scattered throughout the building. Acrid steam and smoke filled the air. But the entire building seemed empty, echoing and hollow. 

_That's creepy. Where is everyone?_

Pidge had already handled a few sentry drones, and they laid scattered about on the floor, marks of her little bayard along their smoking metal. 

_She's gotten really good at using her bayard from her hoverbike,_ Keith noted. 

"I've reached the cavern," Pidge reported. The echoes of her hoverbike silenced. 

"Copy that, we're right behind you," Keith whispered into his helmet, keeping his voice low in the ominous factory. "Nice job on the sentries, Pidge. Do you see any prisoners yet?"

"No, they must've done what Lance predicted they'd do. It looks like the Galra have pulled them deeper into the mines, according to my scanners."

"Alright, stay alert. Let me know when you hack into a terminal," Keith said. 

"Copy that."

Keith motioned for Caern and the Nixites to move forward, and he hung back for a moment, looking over the area. Something didn't feel right. 

"Shiro, how's the fight on your end?" Keith asked. 

"We've taken out most of the smaller ships. They're pulling back to their heavier guns, but we have them scared. We may not even need Voltron for this fight," Shiro said in a mildly surprised tone. 

"Alright, good, hang in there, Shiro."

"You too, Keith."

"Lance," Keith said, "how is the prisoner extraction going? Have you reached them yet?"

"We're under a bit of fire now," Lance said, a bit out of breath. "Nothing we can't handle. But we need Pidge to hurry and hack this joint so we can get in. The entrance is sealed by some weird electrical field generating doors."

"I'm almost there," Pidge said. 

The entrance for the dubbed "first access point" was the largest into the mines, which is where the team had planned on extracting most of the prisoners. The smaller "second access point" was at the back of the factory that Keith, Caern, and Pidge's group were in. Lance had judged that the two would probably connect somewhere in the middle. The scanner that they had dropped down previously had been near the second access point, and had picked up the feed of Sam Holt working in the cavern next to the factory. The map Coran had pulled up of Kuron showed a control center between the building and the mine.

The goal was for Pidge to hack the control center to open the door for the first access point, while the smaller group went into the second access point to save Sam. The large fighting force was distracting the bulk of the Galra forces to allow them to get out safely. 

They hoped. 

Keith's mind wouldn't stay on track. He kept flashing to the first time Lance saw his Galra form, or his nightmare about his father forcing him to stay human as a child, or the darkness that had tried to pull Shiro away. His nerves were making his brain hazed, and he was relying solely on his gut as he tried to calm himself. 

One stunned sentry tried to attack them, but Caern didn't even waste a huge arrow. He simply punched in the sentry, and they continued the short distance to the control center. 

"Pidge, are you almost in?" Keith asked as soon as he saw her mop of auburn hair. Her bike sat parked nearby.

She turned to him, sly grin on her face. "And...now!" The little hacking icon on the screen flashed green. She smiled confidently, but Keith could see her hands shaking wildly. 

"Nice work, Green Paladin Pidge," Caern rumbled. 

She stood, and pulled up the screen on her arm. "Lance, the doors should be opening now!" she said to the coms. She glanced at Keith, and gave a nervous giggle. "You look weird."

Keith shrugged. "It's better for the low gravity. Now, c'mon, let's go!" 

He ran forward, grabbing her free arm, directing her into the gaping mouth of the mine that yawned past the control center. He materialized his bayard, its weight comforting in his hands. 

"Pidge, nice job! We're on our way to extract the people now!" Lance cheered. 

"Oh no!" Hunk wailed. 

"What? What is it?" Keith asked sharply. He motioned for the group to pause, and Pidge and Caern looked to him with concern. 

"They must've called for reinforcements," Hunk said. "A ton of ships just hopped through a warp over here!" 

"Paladins! Get out of there!" Allura's voice cried out in their helmets.

"Hello, Paladins," a smooth voice purred over the intercom system in the building and in their own com system in their helmets. The result was a disorienting echo of the words. 

Keith's stomach dropped at the smooth tone. "Move, move!" he yelled immediately. "We're getting the prisoners _now_."

The urgency in his tone made the little group sprint into the tunnels. 

The voice overhead laughed. "That's quite alright, take your time Red Paladin. I will take my time as well, getting to know the Yellow, Black, and Blue Paladins!"

"Lance," Keith said, quickly running out of breath. He checked the pink dot on his map on his screen. Almost there. "Lance, hurry!" 

"Keith, I'm pulling back to help Shiro and Hunk," Lance said. "The others are almost to the prisoners. They can handle the Galra there, especially if your group meets them halfway."

Keith bit his lips, not noticing the pricks as he drew blood. He was scared of this Prince, and that filled his stomach with an angry fire. He didn't want to let his team fight him alone. 

But he trusted Lance to make the right call. "Just distract him until we can open a warp to transport the prisoners out, and then Voltron can take on Lotor!" 

"Don't worry babe, we can handle Prince Loser!" 

Keith hoped so. "Alright, we're almost--"

A group of a dozen sentries and Galra soldiers fell in from open tunnels on the sides of the main path. Keith didn't even slow his pace, channeling the rage in him to lash out. 

He swung low at the first sentry he could find, dropping it to the ground. He thrust his sword downward with a shower of sparks, quickly pulling it back up to swing at the next robot. One sentry managed to clip his arm, and he yelped. He materialized his shield, blocking the lasers that were being shot toward him. 

Caern pulled out his great bow, knocking two arrows in quick succession with his extra set of long, pale arms. He knocked down several sentries as his warriors fell in and took out the rest. 

Pidge scurried forward, low, under the noise. She quickly shot out her green bayard to stun a soldier, dropping them to the ground. The other noticed and began firing at her, but she rolled under it. Her bayard flew through the air, shocking the second soldier. 

It was suddenly quiet again.

"Let's keep moving," Keith said without taking a breath, ignoring the pain in his arm. A few drops of his purple blood were soaking through the small tear in the material of the space suit. Despite the chill of the planet, Keith had to blink sweat from his eyes.

They crested a slight hill in the mine, dodging carts and axes as they ran. Keith ran forward without a hint of caution, but Pidge grabbed the back of his armor, pulling him backward and down to her level. 

"Chill out, hothead," she said. She let go of him, and crept to look down the side of the hill, her white leg reflecting the dim purple lights.

Keith looked too, and felt his stomach clench. 

Pidge gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. 

The tunnel widened into a large open central hub filled with a few structural beams. Minecarts hovered magnetically above long strips of metallic plates on the floor. It seemed to connect several other mines throughout the area, with little paths pulling off each direction. 

In the center of the room were the prisoners. There were several hundred of them pressed close together. They were surrounded on all sides by Galra soldiers, numbering at least one hundred if not more. 

Keith could see the graying auburn hair on a distinctly humanoid figure near the edge of the crowd. 

"Dad," Pidge whispered, tears welling in her eyes. Keith put a hand on her back. 

"Lance," he said quietly into his coms, knowing his own brain was too scrambled to strategize. He quickly described the situation to him, trying to tune out the blasts and grunts he heard on Lance's end in the background. "What should we do?"

"I think you can--argh--try to spread out Caern's archers around those other tunnels. Shoot at the--Ryner, on your right!--at the soldiers all at once, getting as many as you can and distracting the others. The extraction group can help you too!"

"Copy. Are you alright out there?" Keith asked, motioning for Caern to send his archers into the tunnels where they were ambushed a few minutes before. Caern nodded, and his warriors slipped into the dark tunnels.

"For now. Lotor stopped talking, and that's making me nervous," Lance admitted. "I'm going to provide cover for the prisoners from above. Hunk and Shiro are doing a good job handling Lorkux and the new reinforcements."

"I don't feel like I can keep going forever, though," Hunk interjected. "Yellow is taking a bad beating, and I already lost my breakfast!"

"Just a bit longer, team, we can do this," Shiro said. 

Keith's arm was trembling slightly, the pain fighting for his attention through the adrenaline. 

Caern touched to the communicator in his ear, and nodded to Keith. "They're ready," he said softly, drawing his large bow and aiming down into the cavern.

Keith waited for a moment, counting his breaths. Pidge shook next to him, bayard ready in her hand. 

"Now!" Keith yelled. 

"Fire!" Caern boomed into his communicator. 

A dozen arrows flew out at the sentries, downing a few in one shot. The rest jumped up, alert, holding up their blasters, looking into the caves. Another wave of arrows flew out, and several more fell. 

The remaining sentries pointed their guns to the caves and began firing.

The prisoners shouted and looked to each other in confusion, a few holding onto each other tightly. 

"Let's go!" Keith cried as he lifted his sword. Caern yelled out something in the flowing Nixite tongue that Keith's translators didn't understand. 

Pidge shot out her little bayard, landing it perfectly in a distant sentry. She retracted the string, launching herself into battle. She kicked in the sentry she'd used with her metallic leg. "This for my _dad_!" she spat as she slashed her bayard through another one.

Keith followed her, dodging lasers with his shield. One nicked his ankle, and he stumbled, but Caern steadied him with one of his arms, still shooting accurately with the other three. 

Keith ran at the first robot that began charging him. He pushed himself to become a bit more fierce, letting his teeth grow sharper and his arm stronger. A scream tore through his throat as he swung and ducked and kicked. 

His mind shut off as he began to go through the sentries like space goo. He easily slid his sword through their metal, collapsing their forms, and knocking their guns out of their hands. His vision blurred yellow. 

"This is for _Matt!_ " Pidge yelled nearby as she zapped and kicked the sentries. 

The prisoners scrambled for fallen guns, and a few tried running away or fighting. They added a confused panic that created the beginnings of chaos. It would only make things harder.

"We need the extraction group _now_!" Keith yelled into his communicator. "Ryner, are you there?"

The Olkari's smooth voice came in strained over the coms. "We're trying, but Lotor's forces keep blocking the way! And nothing seems to be growing here for us to use. We just need a bit more time!"

 _We don't have time. Lotor is here, toying with us._ Keith ground his teeth in frustration as he rolled under another shot. "We'll have to try to meet you on your side then, to help. But we're pretty overrun here, too."

Keith looked out over the huge crowd of people, holding off a sentry with his shield. "Prisoners of the Galra Empire! Don't run away yet, there are enemy forces all around us." He threw the sentry to the ground. "We'll hold them off while you escape through that tunnel where our friends are waiting."

Several of the prisoners huddled together. Many stayed where they were, shooting at any robots that got too close.

Suddenly, a smooth voice laughed over the intercom system, echoing in the huge cavern,

The firing stopped, the entire room holding its breath.

"Oh, no," Keith murmured. 

"Dutiful sentries!" Lotor purred. "Turn your weapons directly onto the prisoners and fire on my command!"

" _NO!_ " Pidge screamed. 

"No?" Lotor's voice questioned, as if asking a child that talked back to their parent. "Is the great Voltron force going to listen to my demands?"

"What do you want?" Keith spat, glaring at the ceiling, barring his teeth. 

"It's not really a matter of what _I_ want," Lotor said, drawing his words out like honey. " _You_ all want this small section of labor to be free. And my father, Emperor Zarkon, would very much like Voltron Lions in his grasp. My demands are simple: one small, simple Lion in exchange for all the prisoners to go free, without a scratch! Everyone is happy." 

The prisoners trembled in their circle, looking at the Green and Red Paladins and all their forces in the cavern.

_Zarkon is still...alive? He can't be._

"You're lying," Keith said immediately. "Zarkon is dead." 

Lotor barked out a laugh that was harsh and smooth and eerie all at once. "You should know us Galra take more than that to be killed, little halfblood." 

Keith bristled at being addressed as "us" by Lotor. His vision yellowed in anger, but that almost seemed to prove Lotor's point. "If it takes you so much to be killed, then why are you hiding behind a speaker? Meet me outside the building right now, and I'll fight you. When I win, we get the prisoners. But if I lose, you get the Red Lion." 

"Keith, no!" Allura cried in his ear. 

"No, you hotheaded idiot!" Lance screamed at the same time. 

"There's probably a better way to handle this, let Lance come up with a--" Hunk began. 

"No, this is my fight. I can win easily." Keith glared upward at the ceiling. "Lotor. You know I'll win, don't you?" 

There was a heavy pause. And then a slow, silky laugh poured out of the communicators and intercoms. "You shouldn't make it so tempting. I was going to wait to fight Voltron myself, but if you insist on battling me as a lonely little Paladin..." He took a deep breath. "I accept your wager. I will see you soon... Keith."

The soldiers all dropped their guns. The room filled with an eerie quiet as Lotor's words faded into silence. 

"Dad!" Pidge cried. "Dad, Dad!"

"Sweetpea?" Sam Holt asked from the crowd. " _Katie?_ "

Pidge ran into the edge of the crowd, and her dad met her there. They ran together and he grabbed her up in his arms. "Katie!" 

"Dad, you're okay!" she gasped as she began to sob. 

"What in the world is going on?" he asked her incredulously. He didn't seem frightened, just amazed to be holding onto his daughter. 

"I'll explain everything later. For now I'll keep you safe until Keith defeats Lotor." 

Pidge held tightly to her father's hand, and looked to Keith. "You hothead. How do you really know that you're going to win?"

Keith shrugged casually, hoping she wouldn't look at his trembling knees. "I just do." 

She smiled at him, rolling her eyes. Her hands only shook slightly. "Caern and I will l keep the people safe here," she said. "You go beat up that jerk." 

She looked so much older standing there, holding her father's hand in one of her own, and her bayard in the other. Her tears wetted her cheeks, but she stood tall, like a Defender of the Universe. 

"I will," Keith said. His legs stopped shaking. Caern smiled at him, slapping down a big set of hands onto his shoulder in what Keith guessed was a good luck pat on the back. 

He headed back to the entrance of the building, bayard in hand.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have most of the next chapter done already to make up for lost time! Thank you so, so, so much for reading!


	24. Blue Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all lead up to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most violent chapter of all of them yet, just so you know! There's are a lot of injuries and some death mentions and definitely some blood, but nothing too graphic.

_"It's okay, it's okay," Lance soothed, looking apologetic and scared._

_"You're scared," Keith gasped._

_"No, not of you," Lance said quickly. "I'm scared that you're hurting. It's my fault, I'm sorry."_

Keith's mind kept repeating visions of Lance in his mind as he walked through the huge, industrial factory with his sword in his hand. 

The distant melody that he hadn't needed to think about since he went through his Galra acceptance trickled in between his thoughts. The half-remembered little song about an odd bird that couldn't find a nest that his mother had sang to him, all those years ago. 

_I haven't thought about that song in days,_ he realized with shock, and a small flash of guilt. He had felt at home, with himself and his team. Part of him felt bad, though, like he was already forgetting this dim memory he had, and giving up on the truth about himself and his mother. 

He considered how much everything had changed in such a short time. Pidge had lost her leg and strengthened her use of her new prosthetic in the last few months. Keith had figured out how to be his true self after going through those terrible few weeks of fighting against his body, making him sick and anxious. He remembered the Spanish TV show that Hunk had been able to tap into that had made Lance smile and laugh. The team had had to put everything out of their minds as they had traveled to Nix to meet their Chief Raei. They had finally saved Shiro, using the new powers the Princess trained so hard to control. Keith had kissed Lance. 

_"Hey Lance," he said after clearing his throat nervously._

_Lance turned to look at him, and his eyes widened a little. "Are you okay, Keith? What's wrong?"_

_Lance was standing at his side before Keith could blink. "I'm okay. I had a long talk with Coran about my heritage. We think this is my, uh, real appearance."_

_Lance gave him a quick hug. "I'm glad you feel brave enough to be yourself, Keith."_

_Keith felt his cheeks begin to redden in embarrassment. "Uh, thanks."_

He still had so many questions, and he felt himself burning to know the truth. How did the Blue Lion end up on Earth? Who was his mom? Did she leave him, or was she dead? Why would she sing him an alien lullaby if she didn't want him?

A huge steam vent next to Keith suddenly hissed loudly, hot clouds pouring out of it, scaring him. He quickly hopped away, heart hammering. He breathed in deep to steady himself, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. 

_Now's not the time to be thinking about those things,_ he scolded himself. _Focus on fighting Lotor._

He knew it had been reckless, but he had flicked his coms off. He didn't want to hear his team's worried voices. He needed to stay calm. He knew this was the right thing to do. _I'm doing this for them. I'll keep them safe. I'm strong enough._

He stepped past a few more fallen sentries before he was at the entrance to the building. He walked out into the cold air, and spotted Red in the distance with her shield up. He felt her faint presence in his mind, urging him to fight fiercely. 

He could hear the sounds of a battle in the distance. The lasers flying back and forth, and a few explosions over where the distraction group was fighting. He felt a fear in his stomach, and hoped they would be able to hold out a bit longer until he could beat the Prince.

A smooth, dark ship quietly appeared over the gray horizon, and Keith swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. His sword was steady, not trembling in his hands. He didn't shake as he steeled himself. 

The elegant ship landed next to Red, and even though Keith wasn't piloting her at the moment, she growled menacingly. The doorway opened, revealing a bright glow of the familiar purple of Empire lighting. 

A slim, black boot stepped gracefully onto the hard surface. 

Lotor walked smoothly over to the factory, saying nothing. He still wore the large dark helmet that obscured his face, and the slim and dangerous armor on his body. His movements were lithe and graceful and menacing. 

Keith tilted his chin upward defiantly. 

Once he was about fifteen feet away from Keith, Lotor stopped. A gust of cold wind whistled through the space between them. 

"You're not a very talkative one, are you?" Lotor asked. 

Keith said nothing. 

Lotor giggled. "Exactly. Well! This should be fine, I do enjoy talking and think that you are a good listener. Before I test your strength, can I ask you a question?" 

"I'd rather just get this over with," Keith spat. "I don't have time for your--"

"Great! So my question is this: why are you fighting the Empire?" Lotor asked. 

Keith was already done with this. He lunged forward. "Ask those prisoners you capture!" Keith yelled, swinging his sword. 

Lotor blocked and stepped back in one fluid motion that was too fast for Keith to understand what happened. He had somehow deflected Keith's momentum toward the ground. He staggered, but kept his footing, whirling around to glare at Lotor. He lunged again, screaming wordlessly, channeling all of his strength into his legs and arms. 

With a quick clang of metal on metal, Lotor dodged his attack again. He chuckled. "Those prisoners are not in as bad a shape as you say. They are casualties of conquest, an unfortunate necessity to strengthening the unifying body of the Universe. They are well fed and taken care of."

"As if calling it something else makes it any better. What do you have to say about the gladiator pits?" Keith growled, slashing his sword again. 

Lotor deflected it again with ease, this time leaving his weapon out and visible for Keith to see. It was a long, deadly blade that was made of a white metal. "They provide entertainment, which provides a revenue that keeps them fed and also supports the Empire. They serve their purpose."

Keith snarled, thinking about Shiro, Matt, and Sam, and all of the other people trapped under the Empire's conquest. "That's not right!" he yelled, and even though Lotor was just toying with him, he struck out again. 

This time, Lotor tripped him, sending him to the ground. Lotor put a foot on his back, pinning him easily to the floor. "Oh? What about you humans? You are no gentle creatures either."

"You don't know _anything_ about us," Keith said into the dirt. 

"Oh, but I do. I spent a lot of time learning about your planet since I last saw you," Lotor purred. Though Keith couldn't see his face, his tone made him imagine a horrifying smile. "That's right. I sent out some scanners that picked up on your planet's internet. You have so much information for anyone to see! I've learned three different languages!" he squealed with delight. 

He lifted his boot off of Keith, and he slowly rose to his feet, glaring at Lotor. 

Lotor reached his hands up and pulled his helmet off. Long, pearly white hair tumbled down over his slim shoulders. His yellow eyes gleamed with dark irises looking intently at Keith. His sharp features gave Keith the impression of a hawk looking over its prey. 

"Your people have turned other humans into slaves, killed millions of their own in wars and intentional famines, and conquested so much of your planet in bloody wars. Oh, but you're not completely human, I'm so sorry to lump you in with them. They are terrible, aren't they?" Lotor said lightly. 

"But we know that our past was wrong. We are a peaceful planet. Your Empire embraces those terrors." Keith stood still, knowing that Lotor was playing with him. He needed to think of a plan that would give him an advantage. 

"For the sake of a unified, peaceful Universe? What prices would _you_ pay, Keith?" Lotor asked. 

Keith recoiled at the use of his name, narrowing his eyes at Lotor. 

"Once we reach the farthest ends of the Universe, we can unify all life within it. Once all are unified, there will be peace, technological advancements and discoveries, and happiness!" Lotor put a hand to his chest. "Yes, it takes time and hardship now, but imagine the results!" 

"You're disgusting," Keith said. "Who are the Galra to decide how the Universe is meant to exist? Who are you to define what other planets and solar systems and galaxies live by? Who are you to decide what they _die_ by?" 

Lotor shrugged, his glossy hair shifting over his shoulders. "We are the strongest race able to accomplish the feat. It must be for a reason." 

Keith lunged, swinging his bayard low. Before Lotor could block him, Keith pulled his Blade from the compartment of his armor, slashing up at Lotor's face. 

A line of purple appeared on Lotor's cheekbone below his surprised eyes. 

_Purple, just like mine._

Keith smirked. 

Lotor narrowed his eyes dangerously at Keith. "Oh, you'll regret that mistake, little Paladin." 

The Prince kicked out a boot quick as lightning at Keith's stomach. He sent him back twenty feet toward the entrance to the refinery and knocking the wind out of his chest. 

Keith staggered to his feet, wheezing. His bayard had disappeared into his suit, but his Blade had been knocked out of his hand, laying a few feet to his right. He jumped for it. 

Lotor was there in a flash, kicking the knife out of reach, toward the mouth of the factory. He swung his long weapon at Keith, who quickly materialized his own sword just in time to block it. With an arm that was lithe and quick, Lotor pulled back and swung again, not giving Keith enough time to adjust his feet, knocking him off balance. Lotor punched him once, squarely in the jaw, knocking Keith backwards. 

Lotor laughed, a cruel, inhuman sound. "Is that really it? I told you to get stronger for me! This is pathetic. A child would put up more of a fight." 

Red roared from the other side of the flat lot. She stood up in her protective shield, but Keith knew at any second she would run over to him, no matter what. 

"Your Lion seems to be upset," Lotor noted smoothly. "I wonder why. It's almost as if someone is _toying_ with you."

"I am a Paladin of Voltron," Keith said, looking at Lotor's piercing eyes. "The strength of my Lion and Voltron is something you could never beat." 

"But that violates the terms of our agreement, Keith," he said, as if lecturing a toddler. 

Red growled impatiently, flicking her tail. 

Keith felt her fury match his own. He knew he had to try a different tactic. He quickly sprinted to the building, sword ready. He snatched up his knife from the ground, lashing out at Lotor before he could stop him. Though he hadn't trained very well with both blades, he began to fight the Prince with his sword and knife. He moved quickly, slicing up and down to block and attack simultaneously. 

Lotor didn't immediately land a hit on him this time, which Keith could see frustrated him more. 

He continued, letting his anger push his arms to move faster, swiping quickly, only managing to keep Lotor from getting a hit in edgewise. 

" _ENOUGH_!" Lotor roared, his smooth voice turning into a furious bellow that echoed around them. He quickly pulled a blaster from his belt and without hesitation, he shot Keith. 

Keith cried out as the blast hit his shoulder. His bayard disappeared from his grip, and his other hand with his Blade clutched at the wound. It wasn't deep, but it felt like a line of fire on his collarbone. He wavered on his feet, but refused to fall over. 

Lotor still held the gun pointed toward him. "You're beginning to irritate me, Keith," he scolded. He took a step toward Keith, with a polished boot shining against the dirt. 

Keith raised his uninjured arm to fight, his Blade extending outward in length. He barred his teeth.

A roar vibrated through the air. 

The Blue Lion landed nearby Red. Keith felt his stomach drop. _No, Lance, what are you doing!_

Keith's arm started dripping large, purple drops of blood onto the ground. He quickly flicked on his coms, not taking his eyes off of Lotor, who was beginning to smile slowly. 

"Lance! What are you doing? Get out of here!" Keith hissed. His other teammates bombarded the channel with worries and urges for Keith to stop fighting, but he ignored them.

Lance hopped down out of Blue's mouth. Keith pricked his lips from biting down on them too hard. 

"I'm saving you," Lance said, without a hint of playfulness or tease. He leveled a look at Lotor. "You should really do us a favor and put that helmet back on before we're blinded by your ugly mug," he said to the Prince. Normally his tone would come out joking, but there was too much cold fury in his voice. 

Lotor raised an eyebrow high. "And so you're planning on fighting me as well? You do realize that Keith and I have an agreement in place, yes?" 

"I don't care," Lance said back, deadly calm. "You're going to lose, and we're going to rescue the prisoners. Keith humored you this long, but it's time to stop. This is ending right now." 

He stated it so matter-of-factly that it made Keith nervous. This steely Lance was nothing like the one Keith knew and loved. 

_Loved,_ he repeated in his mind with a jolt.

"Fine," Lotor said smoothly. "I will fight both of you, but I will change our conditions to match. When you both lose, I will take both of you prisoner, as well as your Lions. If you win, you still get to free the prisoners and keep your Lions."

"It doesn't matter what you say," Lance said, materializing his bayard and aiming. "You're finished."

He began to fire. 

Lotor dodged and ducked the lasers, and a few times simply held up his wrists and deflected them with his armor. He whirled his attention over to Keith, still avoiding Lance's shots. "I don't think he realizes how hard it will be for him to save you from me," Lotor teased in a sickly sweet voice. 

Keith gritted his teeth against the pain in his shoulder. He pointed his long Blade toward the Prince. "You don't know us as well as you think you do." 

He swung quickly, aiming low to cause Lotor to lose his footing. The Prince leaped elegantly backward, but Lance got a shot in against his back while he was distracted. The blast knocked into Lotor's armor, pushing him forward and annoying him.

He glared at Lance. His white hair was starting to get frizzled and knotted. "You blue _brat._ Don't be such a coward and come closer to the fight!" 

Lotor raised his small gun in a flash, aiming for Lance. Keith struck out quick as lightning and bashed his knife into the Prince's wrist, making him drop the gun a few feet away. 

The flash of anger on his face filled Keith's stomach with fear. "You'll both pay for that." 

He reached for a device on the belt of his elegant armor, a small piece of metal. At his touch, it expanded outward into a dangerous spear. Keith grimaced, pulling up his shield with his injured right arm. He put his knife away and drew his bayard with his free hand. Lance continued his barrage of blasts without showing a sign of stopping. He was still quite a few feet away, but he was stepping closer every second. He aimed at weak spots in Lotor's armor, like his knees, ankles, and neck, changing it up to keep his aim unpredictable. He was wearing him down and annoying him. 

Lotor lashed out with his spear at Keith. He dodged, rolling under the attack. But as he avoided the attack, Lotor jumped over to Lance, and moved to strike him with the spear. 

Keith's mind shut off as he went on autopilot, throwing himself at the two. Lance was at a great disadvantage in close combat, and he knew he had to save him. 

Lance blocked the attack with his bayard, blue sparks cascading off of the weapon as the spear collided with it. His blue eyes were hard as ice. He moved fast, using his long limbs to his advantage. While pushing tightly against the spear, Lance shot out a kick at Lotor, making him jump backwards to avoid it. 

Keith was right behind him. He struck out with his sword. 

Lotor dropped his spear with a cry of outrage as the bayard sliced at his arm. It went through his armor, enough to make dark blood gush over the tear. 

Lotor glared at the two Paladins, his glistening teeth barred in a grimace. His angular features were twisted with pain and anger. But then he gave a weak, satisfied smile. "You two did so well to get stronger, just as I asked you to. You got stronger _together_ ," he sneered. 

"That's enough. If you let us free the prisoners and leave peacefully, we can stop this fight now," Lance said. 

Lotor's eerie laugh echoed throughout the air. "This isn't the time to bargain." He quickly pulled up a screen on his arm, the strange Galra letters flashing across it. "It's time we ended this for now." 

Alarms began blaring from the buildings around the large empty lot they stood. Keith moved closer to Lance, keeping a hard eye on Lotor. "What are you doing?" he demanded. 

"Let's just say I'm not longer in the mood to test your strength," Lotor said, holding onto the gash in his arm. He smiled widely--too widely. "Have fun, Paladins. But first..." 

The Prince lunged forward, still moving with a lithe grace while injured. He punched Lance before Keith could blink, squarely in his chest piece. Electric sparks danced outward from the contact, making Lance cry out as he fell backward. He dropped to the ground, stunned. 

"That is for intervening," Lotor said lightly, as if explaining punishment to a stubborn child. 

"You--" Keith growled, lifting his sword. He swung at Lotor, but the Prince was already avoiding it, dancing away. 

"I will see you again, little Paladin, don't miss me too terribly while I'm gone," Lotor said as he reached his ship. He slipped inside and lifted off of the ground immediately. 

The Red Lion's roar split the sky in anger, her sounds mixing with the alarms that were still blaring. 

Lance wheezed on the ground, dazed. Keith dropped down to his knees beside him, lifting up his head onto his lap. "Lance? Lance, are you okay?" 

"Yeah, just feel like I was zapped and beaten up by the evil Prince of the Galra Empire, that's all," Lance grumbled, wincing and clutching his chest. His armor was pushed in slightly. 

"We need to get out of here," Keith said. He was so angry at how Lotor had toyed with him. If Lance hadn't been there, he didn't know what would've happened. 

"Guys?" Keith said into his coms. 

"Keith, oh thank goodness--" 

"Is Lance okay?" 

"Where is Lotor?" 

"Lotor left us, but it sounded like he had something planned. We need to get the prisoners out now. Lance is here and is a little beat up," Keith said. 

"I'm okay," Lance croaked. 

"We've almost got all of the prisoners safely on board the Castle and other Olkari and Nixite ships," Allura said. "While you were fighting, the extraction group finally made it through to the other side of the caverns." 

Keith sighed as relief swept through him, relaxing his entire body. _Thank goodness..._

The ground suddenly began to rumble beneath his feet. 

"What's happening down there?" Hunk asked nervously. "Yellow is showing me some weird seismic activity under the surface." 

"I don't know," Keith said, looking around and holding tightly onto Lance, who groaned softly. 

A crack began forming in the concrete under them. Faster than Keith would've thought possible, it spread, running out in the direction of the Red and Blue Lions. As Blue got to her feet and Red growled, the ground beneath them gave out. 

"Red!" Keith cried out at the same time Lance yelled, "Blue!" 

The Lions fell into a cavern as it opened up too quickly for them to lift off of the ground. They usually had to jump to take off, and with the weak ground, they were helpless as they fell with it. Red's furious roar was drowned out by the sound of all the dirt collapsing. Poor Blue gave a yelp of surprise that Lance grimaced at. 

Keith quickly helped Lance to his feet as the ground trembled. They dashed over to the refinery that seemed sturdy. 

"Are you alright?" Allura asked frantically. "Lance? Keith?" 

"We're alright, but our Lions fell," Keith said. "We need to get to them." 

"Lotor and Lorkux's forces are suddenly fighting with more strength," Shiro broke in. "Hunk and I can't help. Pidge?" 

"I'm still helping the prisoners get on board!" she cried. 

"I'll be down in just a tick," Allura said. 

"Copy," Keith said. He felt a prickle of anger at himself. If he hadn't let Lance get hurt, they would've made it to their Lions with time to spare. His arm ached. 

"Uh, Keith, what am I looking at?" Lance asked suddenly. 

Keith followed Lance's gaze toward the inside of the factory. He didn't even feel fear anymore. He sighed with resignation. He lifted his sword and yelled. Lance complained behind him, but started shooting next to him. 

The two of them ran at the ambush of a hundred soldiers. 

Keith ran with his sword shining, slashing upward at the first Galra that he saw. As blood shot out of their shoulder, Keith's stomach sank. 

_These aren't just sentries, these are people,_ his mind began saying on a loop. Sure, they had killed thousands of soldiers by blowing up ships. But it was a very different thing to see them bleed in front of you. _Just get through this._

To his left and right, Lance was shooting down soldiers before they could strike him. Keith easily dodged the oncoming lasers, his mind on overdrive and everything moving in slow motion around him. 

"Keith, your right!" Lance called. 

Keith quickly ducked under a gun that a soldier had aimed for his head. He threw out his arm, slashing the soldier's legs, causing them to fall. 

"Thanks, Lance," Keith said gratefully, glancing behind him. He lifted his shield, and slashed with his free hand. 

"What's going on down there?" Allura asked desperately. 

"We were ambushed!" Keith grunted as he attacked the soldiers that approached him. "I think--argh!--Lotor made a mine collapse under our Lions, and then baited us into the factory to be attacked! They think they're going to win now!" 

A soldier lashed out with a sword that Keith deflected, and he quickly stabbed them. Another soldier came at him with a spear in hand. This fight wasn't going to be easy. 

"Hold them off as long as you can, Hunk is getting your Lions out from under that rubble!" Allura commanded. 

"Hurry," Lance begged. He shot at every Galra he could, but there were so many. Soldiers fell around Keith as Lance hit them and he struck with his sword. 

Keith looked back at him. In that instant, he saw a Galra sneaking up behind Lance that had somehow gotten past him. " _Behind you!_ " he screamed. 

Lance was slightly too slow to react, and didn't have a close range weapon to help as he turned his body to look at the soldier raising a spear behind him. 

Keith was there before he realized his feet were moving, blocking the attack with his own body. 

" _Keith!_ " 

More pain than Keith had ever felt in his life burned through his shoulder, the same one that Lotor had shot before. The world tilted sideways as he fell to the ground. 

" _Keith!_ " Lance screamed again. 

Keith only heard it dimly through the pain. His vision faded black as he felt the spear in his arm get roughly pulled out. He wished for the pain to stop as he gasped, but somehow he remained conscious. His purple blood steamed in the cold air. 

_Why does it...hurt so badly...?_ His thoughts were muddled and hard to form around the fire in his shoulder. _What did I do?_

_"Don't you touch him!"_ a voice tore through the haze in his mind. _"Ahhh!"_

Blue lights flashed across his vision. He felt like he was underwater. "So pretty," Keith murmured. The functioning part of his brain realized it was the shots of Lance's gun, firing more rapidly than he'd ever seen before. 

Lance shot at one of the huge vats of molten metal that was suspended above a cooling water rack. It fell in with a crash, and hot steam jetted out into the air all around them, giving them cover from the other soldiers. 

The heat felt nice on Keith's cold body. He could focus a bit more on Lance. 

Lance shot with such a precision Keith had never seen before. His bayard was an extension of himself, moving with him smoothly. Lance fired at the Galra soldiers, even blocking their blasts with precise hits of his own. Galra soldiers would appear from the fog, and Lance would strike them down just as quickly. 

Ten soldiers all moved forward through the steam at once, charging at Lance with guns and swords and spears shining bright red. 

_"I said STAY AWAY!"_ Lance yelled. His bayard flashed bright white, and changed. Lance was holding two pistols, joined at the base by a thin, shining strand of blue light, that moved freely as he attacked. 

Keith blinked, his eyes struggling to focus. He wasn't sure if this was real. They could change their bayards? 

Lance didn't hesitate. He shot even quicker now, the blue from his blasts illuminating the growing amount of motionless soldiers on the hard ground. The steam was almost cleared. Out of the original hundred, there were only a handful of Galra left standing. 

One of them dropped their weapon and held up their arms, surrendering. The others still fought Lance as the soldier stood still. 

Lance aimed his gun at them. 

"Lance, he's surrendering!" Keith tried to yell, but could only whisper. 

Lance paused, but didn't lower the gun. _"Stay away!"_ he growled in a tone that made Keith's blood feel like ice. 

Another soldier that tried to attack fell with a grunt. The remaining five soldiers dropped their weapons with the first one. 

Lance stopped firing, holding his gaze level with the three soldiers. It was silent. 

"She was my closest friend," the first soldier to surrender said in a shaking voice, staring at a lifeless body. "We joined the military together. I don't want to spill any more blood." 

"Please," another begged. 

Lance didn't move. 

"Lance," Keith coughed. "Lance, please, no, stop!" 

Lance's arms began to shake. 

"Lance! Control yourself, this isn't you! Let them go!" 

Lance turned and looked at Keith on the ground. Keith gave him a relieved smile. Lance took a deep breath. His bayard changed back to its dormant state in his hand. 

"Just go away and never fight for the Empire again," Lance said in his chilling voice, "or I will kill you." 

Keith felt a flash of fear that Lance would shoot them anyway, he sounded so cold. 

They ran away into toward the mines behind the factory, stumbling in their rush to get away from Lance. 

Steam hissed nearby. It echoed in the empty factory. 

Lance dropped to his knees, turning to hold Keith. Now that there wasn't any fighting to focus on, Keith's vision was slipping fast. 

"Keith," Lance gasped. Keith could see purple blood on Lance's white armor. He wondered how much was his, and how much belonged to the dead soldiers. 

"Lance," Keith whispered, "Can we go somewhere...warm?" 

"Yes, baby, we'll go somewhere warm. I'm contacting Allura right now. Stay with me," Lance ordered. 

Keith nodded weakly. He felt so tired. 

"Lance, Keith!" Allura said. Keith could dimly hear the rest of the team asking questions all at once, but made himself focus on her voice to stay awake. "Are you alright?" 

"Keith is hurt really badly, we need our Lions or the Castle or anything!" Lance said. "We need to get Keith in a pod now!" 

"All of the healing pods are full of the prisoners that were sick or hurt!" Allura said. 

Keith felt himself fading fast. "Lance..." he murmured. 

Lance cried out a noise in frustration. "Well Keith will die without one. Are there any people that can wait?" 

"I don't know," Allura said, frantic. "Hunk, do you have their Lions out yet?" 

Keith heard Red roar, and a crash. He turned his head toward the outside of the factory, only to see his Lion's face right next to them. 

"Red," he said lovingly, trying to reach a hand out. She rumbled, and he could feel her worry and anger and love. 

"Yes, Red's out," Hunk said a bit late. Keith smiled weakly. 

"Alright, c'mon, baby," Lance said. He reached his arms under Keith's back and legs, pulling him up with a grunt. Keith yelped out loud at the sharp pain. "You're gonna be okay, shhh," Lance murmured. 

Red opened her mouth for them to enter. Lance sat in the pilot's chair, supporting Keith on his lap. 

Keith looked up into his bright blue eyes. He reached a hand up to wipe off a smear of blood on Lance's cheek, getting more blood on him accidently. Lance gave him a sad smile. 

"Thank you for saving me, Lance," Keith whispered. His eyes were so heavy. 

He couldn't stay awake anymore. The pain was too much. He surrendered to nothingness. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so so so much!


	25. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finally feels at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for staying with me through this monster of a fic! It has been so much fun to write, and I'm so thankful to you all for leaving wonderful messages and kudos!

The words finally trickled into his mind. 

He couldn't form them now, because they were in an alien language, but he knew that he once understood the meaning behind the lyrics. 

_Little bird, little bird, you were knocked out of your tree._

Flashes of color burst and faded in his vision. There was the flash of a dark uniform, a long purple braid. 

_Where will you go now? It is a mystery, and you are suffering._

Sounds would wash in like waves. The sound of a Lion's roar, a gun firing, his father's voice shouting. 

_But be hopeful, little bird, because there will be a home where you make it._

The voice of his mother rocked back and forth, and even though he knew it was in Galra, and he knew it was about an alien creature on whatever planet the Galra are from, it still left him at ease. 

_You are finally home, little bird._

With a hiss and a flush of warm air, Keith fell out of the healing pod. 

\---

Lance held his arms out, ready to catch him. Keith stumbled out, landing one of his feet on Lance's.

"Oops," Keith mumbled, "Don't tell Reesae." He gave a weak laugh. 

Lance gave a relieved laugh, tears filling his eyes. _Why is he like this?_ he thought helplessly. "Why does your sense of humor only show up at the worst times?" he whispered. 

Keith looked up, his eyes shining their faint yellow around his dark purple irises. Lance could keep staring for hours, but they didn't have the time. 

The rest of the team was beside them, holding in tears of relief. Keith slowly came to, and the team took turns running forward to wrap him up in safe hugs. Caern pulled him into a huge bear hug with all of his extra arms, crying about how brave the Red Paladin was. Many prisoners of Kuron thanked him, and a sick one was returned to the pod that Keith had needed more desperately. After a few moments, Keith began to sag more heavily against Lance, and Lance told them they needed to rest. 

Lance filled him in on all he had missed while he was in the healing pod on their way to Keith's room. Pidge had showed off her cool new leg to her dad. Sam had loved it, and wanted to know more about Altean technology. Pidge had decided to show him the Altean vocabulary system, and he was absolutely thrilled, being an Astrozoologist an all. 

Hunk had made him delicious Alien food, and nourished Sam back to full health. Though with the low gravity of Kuron, the labor they were required to performed hadn't been terribly taxing for him. The cold had been the worst part. 

Sam gave Allura and Coran more information about the Galra Empire that he had overheard from his time in prison. He even met with the Blades and other members of the newly forming Voltron Alliance to share his stories. A lot of the other prisoners also helped, and wanted to fight by their side. 

He had helped Shiro remember some of the missing pieces of his memory from their time in the prison together before they were separated. Shiro began having really bad flashbacks, and had asked for them to wait before talking anymore until Keith was awake. Keith gave a sad smile when Lance told him this.

Lance began steering him toward his room. Keith was holding a bowl of food goo, trying to nibble at it on the way. He'd insisted he wasn't hungry, but Lance told him he had to at least try, he hadn't eaten in five days. 

"Five days?" Keith gasped. 

"You were really, really hurt, Keith," Lance said. "Coran had to add a few artificial supports to your shoulder to save your arm."

Keith absorbed this quietly, and Lance hoped he wasn't too upset. 

"Pidge looked really happy with her dad," Keith said.

"Yeah, she did," Lance agreed, smiling. 

"I'm glad everyone was safe," Keith said. "Especially you, Lance."

They were outside Keith's door now. He glanced at it, and back to Lance. An invitation. 

Lance followed him inside, and Keith collapsed happily on his bed, still in the healing pod outfit. Lance sat on the edge of the bed beside him. 

It was quiet for a moment. Lance began to grow tense. They still hadn't talked about it yet--the battle, Lotor, or any of it, really. 

"What's wrong?" Keith asked. "Come lay here with me. I know you're exhausted, too."

"Do you remember everything after you were hurt?" Lance asked, biting his lip. His throat felt like it was closing up, and he was too hot. 

Keith sat up, wincing, but ignoring Lance's outstretched hand. "Yes, of course. I couldn't pass out, it was so crazy. Why?"

Lance swallowed. "I--and you're not--you still feel the same way about me?" 

Keith tilted his head and furrowed his brow. Some of his black hair slid to the side over his shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"Please don't make me say it," Lance burst. "How I acted--the thing with my bayard--the way I killed those people--" 

"Lance," Keith said, and grabbed a hold of his hands before he could keep talking. They were shaking and sweating in Keith's cool grip. "You were defending me. It was...a bit frightening--"

"I know, I'm sorry--" Lance interrupted. 

"--but," Keith continued, "you were defending me. You saved us, Lance. I'm not afraid of you."

"I was ready to shoot those soldiers, you know," Lance said quietly. "I would've, if you hadn't stopped me. I didn't care that they were surrendering. I thought, 'They didn't surrender before they hurt Keith. Why should I spare them now? They deserve to be hurt, too.'"

"Oh, Lance, we were in a battle. You controlled yourself. You didn't kill them. It's going to be alright," Keith said. 

Keith tugged on his grip on Lance's hands, pulling him towards the other side of the bed. Their lips met, and Keith sighed into the kiss, reaching his arms around Lance. He couldn't help the tears that flowed onto his face at Keith's soft touches. 

"You know what I realized when you came to save me from Lotor?" Keith murmured. 

"What's that?" Lance asked.

"That I love you," Keith said, pulling him deeply into the kiss. 

Lance began to cry, so thankful that this boy in his arms was alive, telling him that he loved him. He cried for all the soldiers they had to fight. He cried for all the battles to be fought in the future. 

Keith's skin began to lighten, returning to the pale color it used to be. His cheeks were a bright red. 

"What's wrong?" Lance said, his mouth tugging into a smile, his eyes still wet. 

Keith blinked, looking down at his arms. "Oh!" he said with surprise. "I guess embarrassment is a human emotion." His smile grew sheepish, and his ears started reddening next. 

Lance burst out laughing. "Keith!" he giggled, completely smitten by him. He pulled him tightly in a hug. 

"I love you, too," Lance whispered into his ear. 

Keith's face continued to grow red, and Lance held him tighter, both of them laughing like idiots. 

They both knew the fight wasn't over yet. But for right now, the small amount of peace they had meant everything to them. They cherished it while they could, laughing happily together in the dark of Keith's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think in the comments, and please feel free to critique it! I want to improve.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to keep these chapters very short, so I can more easily update. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Find me on tumblr, Voltron sideblog @justashance, or main blog @ver-ironica
> 
> Edit: I named the planet Kuron waaayyyy before the kuron stuff, sorry for any confusion, I just made up the name at the time! I can't believe they were the same lol


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